Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Cerebrovascular Damage

New research data published in the journal JAMA and reported by radiologybusiness.com reveals that excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods increases the risk of cerebral vascular damage. MRI results showed that middle-aged adults who consume large quantities of these foods exhibit increased body fat and a higher likelihood of neurovascular damage in brain scans.

Researchers suggested it would be valuable to examine whether these findings “precede the onset of detectable cognitive impairment” in the future. Sonia S. Anand and her colleagues at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, noted in their commentary that growing evidence points to a potential impact of these foods on brain health, but the pathways linking them to early cerebral vascular changes “remain uncertain and have not been thoroughly studied.”

The team explained that subclinical cerebral vascular conditions, such as white matter hyperintensities and silent cerebral infarctions, reflect early cerebral vascular disease that develops years before clinically detectable cognitive decline, and may represent a modifiable target for prevention.

The cross-sectional study included 8,783 Canadian adults aged 35 to 69 who did not have cardiovascular disease. Researchers linked participants’ dietary patterns to a range of measures, including body fat percentage, visceral adipose tissue volume, liver fat percentage, MRI-detected cerebral vascular damage, and cognitive test scores.

Participants with the highest consumption of ultra-processed foods had body fat levels 1.7 percentage points higher than those with the lowest consumption, along with a visceral adipose tissue volume 5.7 milliliters larger. Researchers found no significant difference in liver fat percentage between the two groups.

MRI analysis showed an association between consumption of these foods and cerebral vascular damage. The adjusted odds of damage were 40% higher among participants in the highest quartile of consumption compared to those in the lowest quartile. Researchers defined this damage as silent cerebral infarctions or prominent white matter hyperintensities.

However, the team found no significant association between consumption of these foods and performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment or the Symbol Digit Modalities Test.

According to Radiology Business, these results suggest that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods may be associated with markers of cerebral vascular damage and increased body fat in midlife, even when no measurable differences in cognitive performance are observed. The researchers acknowledged that the study was not designed to determine whether consumption of these foods precedes these changes or contributes to them.