Canadian Study Ties High UPF Intake to 40% More MRI Brain Damage Signs
Updated
Updated · Medical News Today · Oct 17
Canadian Study Ties High UPF Intake to 40% More MRI Brain Damage Signs
3 articles · Updated · Medical News Today · Oct 17
Summary
Nearly 9,000 Canadians aged 35 to 69 who ate the most ultra-processed foods were 40% more likely to show silent vascular brain injury on MRI than those who ate the least.
Women in the highest-intake group were nearly twice as likely to show those changes, which include white matter damage and silent infarcts linked to later stroke and cognitive decline.
UPFs made up about 25% of daily servings on average, rising to 45% among the highest consumers versus 16% among the lowest, while healthier minimally processed foods were displaced.
The researchers said the observational, single-time-point study cannot prove cause and effect or show whether cutting UPFs would prevent the brain changes, but it suggests midlife diet may affect long-term brain health.