A new study of more than 2,100 Australian adults has found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with reduced attention and slower mental processing, even among those following otherwise healthy diets. The research also connected greater intake to increased dementia risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.
Researchers from Monash University, the University of São Paulo, and Deakin University analyzed dietary and cognitive data from middle-aged and older adults without dementia. Their results were published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. Lead author Dr. Barbara Cardoso said a 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food intake was roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to a daily diet. This change was linked to lower scores on tests measuring visual attention and processing speed. Participants obtained about 41 percent of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, close to the Australian national average. The effects on attention held regardless of overall diet quality, including Mediterranean-style eating patterns. The study found no direct connection to memory loss. Researchers noted that attention underpins many cognitive tasks and may serve as an early indicator of broader changes.
