Crackers and other popular foods that increase dementia risk

YuA study conducted by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and published in the scientific journal JAMA Neurology, indicates that excessive consumption of chips, cookies, ice cream and other industrial foods can affect brain function.

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The authors of the USP study, which included 10,775 volunteers (35-74 years of age), recruited between 2008 and 2019, noted that 50-year-olds who consumed a lot of ultra-processed foods displayed faster neurological decline. by 28%.

Because ultra-processed foods are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, researchers believe that inflammatory proteins (cytokines) produced by the body may be responsible for accelerating cognitive impairment. Consumption of these foods has been associated with decreased volume of the left hippocampus (a region of the brain located in the temporal lobe) and gray matter in healthy people.

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Countering these conclusions, nutritionist Duane Mellor, of Aston University in the UK, argues that the study did not include information on intake of added sugar, salt and fat. It also confirms that the data also does not show a direct relationship between processed foods and cognitive decline.

In the opinion of the specialist, the results of the study may be related to the poor consumption of healthy foods.

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