Evidence of the health risks of ultra-processed food continues to pile up, with studies linking its consumption to increased risk of cancer1, diabetes2, heart disease3, anxiety, and even early death4. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently went as far as to declare the entire category to be tantamount to “poison.”5 To add to the growing list, researchers have just uncovered yet another good reason to swear off ultra-processed food: an increased risk of cognitive decline.
Dementia affects more people in the U.S. each year. Cases are expected to double by 2060 to reach 1 million annually, and poor diet is considered an important contributing risk factor.
“We’ve long known that diets high in processed foods, added sugars, and unhealthy fats can drive inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can contribute to memory loss,” explained Dr. Hayley Miller, Medical Director of Nurx Weight Management. “More recently, research has shown that eating more ultra-processed foods is tied to a faster rate of cognitive decline.”
What Is Ultra-Processed Food?
Ultra-processed foods are exactly what they sound like — foods that are highly processed. They usually contain high levels of sugar, salt, fat, and additives like preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and sweeteners.
They often have a long shelf life (think sugary breakfast cereals, energy drinks, and packaged chips and cookies). Other ultra-processed foods include sugar-sweetened drinks like soda and artificial juices, pre-packaged meals like frozen dinners and pizzas, and processed meats like chicken nuggets.
Processed Red Meat Linked to Increased Risk of Cognitive Decline
New research published in January 2025 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, singled out processed red meat like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and cold cuts as a major contributing factor to cognitive decline6. In this long-term study, researchers analyzed the eating habits of 133,771 people (49 years old on average), none of whom had dementia at the outset. Forty-three years later, 11,173 of these people had developed dementia — and researchers concluded that consuming even a small amount of processed meat had a significant effect.
Participants consuming an average of 0.75 ounce or more had a 14% higher risk of cognitive decline than those who ate less than 0.3 ounce per day, clearly linking dementia and diet. Consumption of unprocessed red meat like steak or hamburger was not shown to impact dementia risk one way or the other.
What’s So Bad About Processed Red Meat?
“Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health,” said study author Dong Wang, MD, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, but the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, like nuts, fish and poultry, may reduce a person’s risk.”
According to Dana Hunnes, PhD, a senior dietitian at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, this link comes down to the inflammatory nature of processed meats. Inflammation, she told Healthline, increases the risk of plaques in the brain, which are associated with dementia and cognitive decline.
“An additional relationship is between trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its association with increased development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Hunnes. “The higher sodium content of processed red meats increases blood pressure, reduces blood flow to the brain (cerebral perfusion), and potentially [leads] to vascular dementia. So, given these prior known associations, I’m not surprised at all.”
Processed Meat Isn’t the Only Problem
If you’re looking to preserve your cognitive health, processed meat is only one no-no. A recent research review of 28 studies in Nutritional Neuroscience examined the association between ultra-processed food intake and neurodegenerative disorders. The review found that ultra-processed food consumption was associated with a 17% increased risk of non-dementia, non-Alzheimer’s cognitive impairment, and a 56% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease7.
While Parkinson’s is typically perceived to be a movement disorder, the disease also affects cognition. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Parkinson’s disease dementia is common among sufferers of Parkinson’s, often surfacing a year or more after diagnosis8.
In light of these findings — and of the increased understanding within the medical community of the link between brain health and gut health — it’s the perfect time to evaluate which foods are helping vs. hindering your mental health.
“Our diet is a cornerstone of our brain health and function, and we should treat it this way,” said Austin Perlmutter, MD, board-certified internal medicine physician and managing director at Big Bold Health. “Diet forms the building blocks for our neurons, turns into neurotransmitters and alters brain immunity, metabolism and neuroplasticity. Each of these impacts our memory.”
While Perlmutter noted that “no single food is as important as an overall dietary pattern when it comes to preventing cognitive decline,” he went on to highlight certain foods worth reducing or eradicating from your diet entirely.
Foods to Avoid for Optimal Brain Health
Perlmutter recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, which recent research linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and early death. Packaged foods with added sugars like breakfast cereals, packaged baked goods, and candy are also on Perlmutter’s list of processed foods to avoid, as are “most processed snack foods” like chips and cookies, fast food, and processed meat.
Perlmutter recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, which recent research linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and early death.
“A good rule of thumb: if an ingredient isn’t something you’d typically find in your own kitchen, it’s worth a second look,” added Miller. “Watch for things like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, hydrolyzed proteins, added colors, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and anything labeled ‘artificial.’ Small, intentional choices like these can have a big impact on long-term health.”
“Watch for things like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, hydrolyzed proteins, added colors, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and anything labeled ‘artificial.’”
Dr. Hayley Miller, Medical Director of Nurx Weight Management
Foods to Eat for Optimal Brain Health
For the best diet for brain health, replace these items with whole foods rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and essential vitamins. Miller recommends including leafy greens, blueberries, and whole grains in your diet, and Perlmutter adds extra-virgin olive oil and polyphenol-rich foods like colorful fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs, coffee and tea, and dark chocolate to the list.
Fatty Fish: A Brain Health Superfood
Both experts extol the virtues of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like flaxseeds, walnuts, and, of course, fatty fish. These fish are rich in DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that has been shown to have a positive effect on brain health, cognition, and memory.
“In particular, the omega-3 fatty acids that are found in certain kinds of fish have brain health benefits, such as improving cognitive function and offering protective effects on brain volume and structure,” said Lakelyn Eichenberger, Ph.D., Gerontologist and Caregiver Advocate at Home Instead, an Honor Company.
A 2020 study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience indicated that fish intake could improve cognitive ability in healthy people9, making it one of the top foods to eat to prevent dementia. The researchers found that consumption of fatty fish could affect the very structure of the brain and help to ward off mild cognitive impairment, which appears in 10 to 20 percent of adults aged 65 and older. A 2022 research review in Cureus found that omega-3 fatty acids, whether taken through food or supplementation, increased learning, memory, and cognitive well-being10.
The recent research in Neurology only served to confirm these original findings. Researchers found that replacing a serving of processed red meat with nuts and legumes reduced dementia risk by 19%, and substituting with fish meant a 28% lower likelihood of developing dementia.
Perlmutter recommends focusing on fish that are particularly rich in these fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, and herring. “Ideally, we should shoot for around 2 servings of these types of fatty fish a week (roughly 500 mg worth of omega-3 fats a day),” he said.
The Mediterranean Diet: The Ideal Diet for Your MIND
Reducing processed foods and embracing fish and nuts are a great first step in using your diet to improve cognition and brain health. “However,” Miller cautioned, “balance is key — consuming a variety of brain-healthy foods is more beneficial than relying on any single food.” She recommended considering not just what you eat but also how consistently you eat it. “Consuming nutrient-rich foods over time supports brain health and cognitive function,” she said.
What Is the MIND Diet?
If you want to go even further, you might consider the MIND diet. This protocol is an offshoot of the Mediterranean diet, a regime high in so-called “brain foods” like vegetables, fish, and whole grains, and low in meat and dairy11. The Mediterranean diet has long been linked to improved cognition and overall health. The MIND diet, however, was found to have an even greater positive impact on slowing cognitive decline12.
Guidelines for the MIND diet include consuming three servings of whole grains and a serving of vegetables per day, plus six servings of green leafy vegetables, five servings of nuts, four bean-based meals, two servings of berries, two servings of poultry, and one serving of fish per week. Proponents of the diet also recommend relying mainly on olive oil as an added fat (and high phenolic olive oil is even better!) and reducing consumption of pastries, sweets, red meat, cheese, fried foods, and butter.
“It really is a well-rounded diet (such as the MIND or Mediterranean diet) that is followed consistently over time that will make the most significant difference — there’s not one single ‘silver bullet’ food that can preserve brain health,” said Eichenberger. And the connection between food and brain health is just one part of the puzzle. “Combining diet with other important brain-healthy lifestyle modifications (such as exercise, reducing stress, getting adequate sleep and regular socialization) can be even more effective.”
Sources:
- https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-068921
- https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/28/health/ultraprocessed-food-health-risks-study-wellness/index.html
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7399967/
- https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/rfk-jr-says-ultra-processed-foods-are-poison-but-that-he-wont-ban-them/ar-AA1y9522
- https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000210286
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1028415X.2024.2351320
- https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/types-of-dementia/parkinson-s-disease-dementia
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7103640/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9641984/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2997798/
- https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/mind-diet/
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