People who eat the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods like fizzy drinks and chocolate may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat the lowest amounts, a study has indicated. It also found that replacing ultra-processed foods with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower risk.
According to the study, eating more unprocessed or minimally processed food by the equivalent of half an apple a day, while decreasing ultra-processed foods by the equivalent of a chocolate bar a day, is associated with 3% decreased risk of dementia. Ultra-processed foods – which are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fibre – include soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage, deep-fried chicken, canned baked beans, ketchup and flavoured cereals.
The researchers highlighted that their findings do not prove that ultra-processed foods cause dementia and that they only show an association. Study author Huiping Li, of Tianjin Medical University in China, said: “Ultra-processed foods are meant to be convenient and tasty, but they diminish the quality of a person’s diet.
