News
28/07/2022
Eating ultra-processed foods could impair cognitive performance in older adults, new research suggests. According to the study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, older individuals who eat foods such as packaged snacks, breakfast cereals, choclates and pre-prepared pies, pizzas and pasta perform worse on standardized cognitive tests than their counterparts who do not consume such foods. The researchers from Australia that such food items contain little to no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives. For the study, the researchers evaluated more than 2,700 participants who were 60 years old and above. The participants were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2014. Each participant was asked to recall what they ate in a 24-hour period on two non-consecutive days. The participants then underwent standardized, validated cognitive tests, including one that assesses Alzheimer’s disease. “Research indicates that diets that follow a Mediterranean Diet style, recognized by the high proportion of foods with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, are associated with a reduced risk of age-associated cognitive decline and dementia,” said Barbara Cardoso, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a senior lecturer in nutrition, dietetics, and food at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. *Image by Hannah Chen from Pixabay
09/12/2021
The impact of heavily processed foods on your health has been widely acknowledged for some time. But now new research shows just how potentially dangerous consuming such food products can be for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke. According to the research by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli, Italy, consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) increases the risk of a second — and more likely fatal — heart attack or stroke for people who already have cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, the research shows that UPFs are associated with a two-thirds increased risk of a second heart attack or stroke, this time fatal, compared with people who eat these types of foods less frequently. Furthermore, the researchers also found that the probability of people who frequently eat UPFs of dying from any cause was 40% higher. Examples of UPFs include soft drinks, sweet or savory packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products, and pre-prepared frozen dishes. Worryingly, many adult Americans' diets comprise high levels of UPFs, as much as 60% in some cases. The study is published in the European Heart Journal. *Image by Shirley Hirst from Pixabay