Ultra Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are getting a lot of attention these days.

They’re unhealthy, which is no surprise.

I think most people have always known that.

But these days, it seems like we are really waking up to realize just just how unhealthy these foods really are. And to how much of our “normal” food is actually ultra processed to some extend.

And that made me wonder: is there a link between ultra-processed foods and mental energy - or cognitive performance in a broader sense?

It seems so.

Today’s insights is mainly drawn from the scientific article: 

“Ultra-processed food consumption affects structural integrity of feeding-related brain regions independent of and via adiposity”

Today's newsletter

• The study in a nutshell:

• Takeaways:

• What they did:

• What the authors found out:

• What can we learn from this study?

The study in a nutshell:

This large cross-sectional study consisted of brain imaging results and dietary knowledge from an impressively large number of participants.

The study explored how eating ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may affect the structure of the brain.

Using health and MRI data from over 33,000 participants in the UK Biobank, the researchers found that high UPF intake is linked to inflammation, obesity, and changes in key brain regions.

What’s interesting is that while some of these changes were explained by weight and metabolic issues, the results also indicated that UPF may directly influence the brain.

Takeaways:

🍟 Ultra-processed foods (UPF) may alter brain structure

MRI scans linked high UPF intake to changes in brain areas like the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, and amygdala, which are areas important for motivation, reward, and attention.

🧠 Effects independent of weight gain:

Through mediation analysis it was found that some brain changes weren’t fully explained by the obesity or metabolic issues that high UPF intake bring about.

This suggests that UPFs may to some extend directly impact the brain without working through known negative health related effects.

What they did:

What the authors found out:

Diet and health effects:

Not surprisingly, higher UPF consumption was linked to increased intake of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.

Moreover higher UPF consumption was associated with:

-Higher body mass index (BMI)
-More visceral fat
-Higher blood sugar (HbA1c)
-Higher triglycerides
-Increased inflammation (CRP)
-Lower HDL cholesterol.

Brain Structure Changes:

UPF intake was related to structural changes in the brain:

• Cortical changes: Increased thickness in the lateral occipital cortex.

• Brain structure changes: The study found changes in deep brain areas like the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, pallidum, putamen, and amygdala. These changes indicate that the brain tissue there may be less dense or less healthy, which could affect how these regions function.

• White matter connections: The study found changes in brain wiring, which help different parts of the brain communicate. These changes may affect how efficiently the brain sends signals, possibly influencing thinking, memory, and self-control.

Mediation analysis and the role of BMI

The researchers did something called a mediation analysis and to further look into why UPFs affect the brain.

They found that, in some cases, the link was explained by inflammation, blood sugar, and blood fat levels.

In others, body weight (BMI) seemed to be the link between UPFs and these brain changes, especially in areas like  the hypothalamus, fornix, and lateral occipital cortex.

This suggests that UPFs may influence brain structure both through weight-related effects and direct metabolic changes.

What can we learn from this study?

This study shows that eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with physical changes in the brain, especially in areas that control hunger, reward, and eating behavior.

Some of these brain changes were explained by effects of UPFs like higher body fat and metabolic issues such as inflammation and blood sugar levels. But others seemed to be caused by the UPFs alone, meaning UPFs may directly affect brain structure.

The authors note themselves that the findings suggest a possible cycle as a result of a UPF-rich diet.

Because UPFs may change the structure of the brain in areas related to motivation and reward - such as the nucleus accumbens, putamen, and pallidum - this could increase the desire to keep eating them, which could lead to more weight gain and further brain changes over time.

But, what I find extremely interesting is that these are also areas related to mental energy.

A big component of mental energy is the motivation to continue a given task, which is affected by the predicted reward of that task. These are features of the brain highly regulated by the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala.

If these brain areas are affected, it might influence our drive to do focused work, which ultimately impacts our mental energy.

Moreover, the thalamus, which plays a key role in attention and alertness, also seemed to be affected by UPFs in this study.

Taken together, study provides indications of a possible negative link between the consumption of ultra-processed food and mental energy.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that, while the study is large and well-designed, it is still just one study.

And since it’s cross-sectional, we cant know if there’s is actually a causality. That is, we can’t say for certain whether UPFs cause these brain changes, or whether people with certain brain features may simply be more likely to consume more UPFs.

That said, I still see this as a meaningful and important indication of a potentially harmful mental effect of UPFs.

_{Disclaimer: The above is mainly based on the article “Ultra-processed food consumption affects structural integrity of feeding-related brain regions independent of and via adiposity” by Filip Morys, Arsene Kanyamibwa, Daniel Fängström, Max Tweedale, Alexandre Pastor-Bernier, Houman Azizi, Lang Liu, Annette Horstmann & Alain Dagher and aims to provide key takeaways and a condensed overview of its content. While the essence is drawn from the original article, some parts have been simplified or rephrased to enhance understanding. Please note that we at, OptiMindInsights or any other potential writers or contributors to our summaries, do not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this summary. The information provided should not be considered a substitute for personal research or professional advice. Readers are encouraged to consult the original article for detailed insights and references. The summary does not include references, but they can typically be found within the original publication. Always exercise due diligence and consider your unique circumstances before applying any information in your personal or professional life. We refer to the creative commons for reproducibility rights.}