The Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on Mental Health and Cognitive Function

What is considered an ultra-processed food?

In 2009, a group of Brazilian researchers classified foods on a four-part scale, from unprocessed and minimally processed (such as fruits, vegetables, rice, and flour) to processed (oils, butter, sugar, dairy products, some foods). canned, as well as smoked meats and fish) and ultra-processed. “Ultra-processed foods include ingredients that are rarely used in homemade recipes, such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, isolated proteins, and chemical additives” such as colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and preservatives, explained Eurídice Martínez Steele. , researcher in food processing at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Currently, this classification system is widely used by nutrition researchers.

UPFs make up the majority of packaged foods found in supermarket freezer aisles and on fast-food restaurant menus: 70 percent of packaged foods sold in the United States are considered ultra-processed. His consumption is widespread among different socioeconomic groups and are increasingly displacing healthier foods in people’s diets.

“Ultra-processed foods are painstakingly formulated to be so appetizing and satisfying as to be almost addictive,” said Eric M. Hecht, an epidemiologist at Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine. “The problem is that in order for products to taste better and better, manufacturers make them less and less like real food.”

What effects do ultra-processed foods have on mental health?

Some recent research has shown a link between highly processed foods and low mood. In a study conducted in 2022 with more than 10,000 adults in the United States, it was revealed that the more UPF participants ate, the more likely they were to report mild depression or feelings of anxiety. “There was a significant increase in bad mood days among those who consumed 60 percent or more of their calories from UPF,” said Hecht, the study’s author. “This is not proof of cause and effect, but we can say that there appears to be an association.”

New research has also found a connection between high UPF consumption and cognitive decline. A 2022 study who followed almost 11,000 Brazilian adults for a decade, found a correlation between the intake of ultra-processed foods and worse cognitive function (the ability to learn, remember, reason and solve problems). “Although we have a natural decline in these capacities with age, we saw that this decline accelerated to 28 percent in people who consume more than 20 percent of their calories from ultra-processed foods,” said Natalia Gomes Goncalves, a professor at the School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo and lead author of the study.