Studies have shown that high consumption of highly processed foods leads to a host of diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and dementia.
A recent international study examined the link between the consumption of highly processed foods and brain structure. The study was conducted using data from the British Biobank and involved about 30,000 middle-aged people from the UK. It was conducted by the O'BRAIN laboratory at the University of Helsinki, which studies the link between the brain and obesity, in collaboration with the Montreal Neurological Institute.
The work is published in the journal npj Metabolic Health and Disease.
"Our results suggest that high consumption of highly processed foods is associated with structural changes in brain regions that regulate eating behavior, such as the hypothalamus, amygdala and right adjoining nucleus. This can lead to a cycle of overeating. However, long-term and experimental studies are still needed to strengthen this link," says doctoral researcher Arsen Kanyamibwa from the University of Helsinki.
The study found that the link between ultra-processed foods and overeating cannot be explained solely by the resulting inflammation or obesity. Changes in the brain may also be explained by the ingredients, emulsifiers and other additives used to prepare ultra-processed foods. Kanyamibwa believes that the harmful effects of highly processed foods should be given more attention, both in personal food choices and in food regulation and nutrition policy.
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