Diet is a double-edged sword, and the choice of foods, their consumption rate and quality are issues that determine the course of your healthy life in the future.
It is true that this conclusion is not new, and that there are foods that are useful for health and to enhance the functions of the body in a proper way, in contrast to other foods that increase the risk of disease. But what regarding the brain?
A recent study presented at the International Conference of the Alzheimer’s Association showed that processed foods such as chips, ice cream, chocolate, hot dogs and others are considered harmful to the brain.
In detail, the researchers studied the eating and performance habits of regarding 11,000 adults from Brazil through tests of thinking skills over several years.
The result?
The researchers found decreased intellectual abilities in people who ate processed foods and ultra-processed foods, compared to people who did not eat these types of unhealthy foods.
Therefore, Natalia Goncalves, MD, from the University of São Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil, confirms that “for brain health, it is better to eat foods prepared at home using fresh ingredients rather than eating ready-made and light foods.” Dr. Percy Griffin, associate scientific director of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It is not surprising, but rather disturbing, to see new data confirming that processed and ultra-processed foods can accelerate the decline of intellectual and mental skills.”
These processed foods are characterized by the addition of a number of ingredients to them, such as sugar, fat and salt, while they contain a small percentage of fiber and protein. They include:
* Soft drinks
*chips chips
* Chocolate
* sweets
* Ice cream
* Sweetened breakfast cereals
* Packaged soups
*Nuggets
* Hot dogs and others…
In the past thirty years, there has been a steady increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods throughout the world, and its consumption has been linked to many diseases and health problems, including obesity, heart disease and cancer.
This new study is further evidence that what we eat affects our brains as we age. The study found that people who got 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods experienced a significantly faster decline in cognitive performance (25% in functional ability, 28% in intellectual ability) over 6 to 10 years versus people who followed the diet. It contains few processed foods.
But the good news, according to Dr. Griffin, is that “there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of mental decline with age, which are a healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, protection from head injury, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy heart.”
