These kinds of evaluations are common when testing brain health, said Katz, who is principal investigator for the study and leads a cognitive aging and translational science lab at Virginia Tech.
“All of this is looking for your risk for something,” he said. “No one wants a higher risk of having dementia or Alzheimer’s.”
The results suggest an important wake-up call for people who want to keep their brain sharp as they age.
“It’s important to understand when and why people have early stages of cognitive impairment,” Katz said. “Physicians should be able to take this back to their patients and tell them that those dietary choices matter.”
The specific categories of ultra-processed foods that impacted brain health were surprising to Katz and Davy.
After all, this is one of the first studies that breaks down different categories of ultra-processed foods and evaluates the specific impact of them on brain health.
“Maybe some of those are still bad for cardiovascular health, but when we see impacts on cognition, it looks like a lot of this is driven really meaningfully by a couple of these categories that often make up substantial parts of our diets,” Katz said.
The study’s results suggest that paying attention to what you eat, reading labels, and making simple food swamps is more important than ever, Davy said. For instance, there are some deli meats that are healthier and not ultra processed, so consumers should opt for those instead.
Davy also suggests that people cook meals as much as possible at home and choose water over sugary beverages.
“There are things that you can change,” she said. “It’s moderation and being reasonable and balanced in your dietary choices.”
Both researchers are continuing their work surrounding ultra processed foods and cognition. Currently, their findings from a study evaluating young adults and ultra-processed foods are under review.
With future grants, they’d like to teach cooking skills and healthy dietary patterns to individuals with the goal of evaluating how cooking skills development improves what people eat and how it may impact brain function.
A big reason why ultra-processed foods are attractive is because they are convenient options for busy people, especially if their time and cooking skills are limited, Davy said.
That’s why offering cooking instruction could be a key to better dietary choices.
“It’s one thing to follow a diet, but it’s another thing to give them the cooking skills to prepare that diet,” Katz said.