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Association between consumption of ultraprocessed foods and cognitive decline
Although ultraprocessed food consumption has been associated with a higher risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease, less is known about its relationship to cognitive decline. In this study by Gomes Gonçalves et al. (2023), the authors looked at the connection between participants participating in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health’s use of ultraprocessed foods and cognitive decline. Three waves, separated by around four years, comprised this multicenter prospective cohort research (2008 to 2017). Analysis of the data took place between December 2021 and May 2022. Public employees from six Brazilian cities, ranging in age from 35 to 74, participated. Individuals with incomplete data on food frequency, cognitive measures, or covariates were excluded. Furthermore, people who consumed excessive amounts of calories (less than 600 kcal per day or more than 6000 kcal per day) or who were using medications that could affect cognitive performance were not included. The daily intake of ultraprocessed foods, broken down into quartiles, was investigated as a proportion of total energy intake. The Trail-Making Test B version, phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests, immediate and delayed word recall, and word recognition tests were used to measure how cognitive function develops over time. A total of 15,105 individuals were recruited, with 4,330 excluded, leaving 10,775 participants for analysis. At baseline, the average age was 51.6 (SD = 8.9) years; women made up 54.6% of the population, White people made up 53.1%, and 56.6% held a college degree or above. After a median follow-up of 8 years, those who consumed more ultraprocessed foods (above the first quartile) experienced a 25% faster rate of loss in executive function and a 28% faster rate of overall cognitive decline. These findings reinforce public health recommendations to limit ultraprocessed food consumption due to its potential negative impact on cognitive function. In an ethnically varied group of people, the authors highlight that a higher daily calorie intake from ultraprocessed meals was linked to a quicker rate of cognitive deterioration. [NPID: Ultraprocessed foods, cognitive decline, cohort study, cognitive performance, executive function, energy consumption, public health recommendations]
Year: 2023
