Alzheimer’s Dement
Even 10% increase in ultra-processed foods tied to poorer focus
Clinical takeaway: The amount of ultra-processed food consumed may matter for brain health independent of overall diet quality.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are already linked to cardiometabolic conditions that raise dementia risk, but it's less clear whether they add cognitive risk beyond simply displacing healthier foods. This study assessed whether ultra-processed food intake was associated with cognitive performance and dementia risk after accounting for overall diet quality.
For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake, attention scores were slightly lower, with the biggest drop seen in the heaviest consumers. Each decile was associated with a 0.05-point drop in attention scores, which is a measurable difference at the population level but not a large change at the individual level.
The study was a cross-sectional analysis of 2,192 dementia-free Australian adults ages 40 to 70 years in the Healthy Brain Project. Ultra-processed food intake was also associated with higher modifiable dementia risk scores, and that relationship remained after adjustment for Mediterranean diet adherence.
“For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food a person consumed, we saw a distinct and measurable drop in a person’s ability to focus,” said Barbara Cardoso, PhD, from the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and the Victorian Heart Institute at Monash University.
“To put our findings in perspective, a 10% increase in UPFs is roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to your daily diet,” said Barbara Cardoso, PhD, from the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and the Victorian Heart Institute at Monash University. “For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food a person consumed, we saw a distinct and measurable drop in a person’s ability to focus. In clinical terms, this translated to consistently lower scores on standardized cognitive tests measuring visual attention and processing speed.”
Source: Cardoso BR. Alzheimer’s Dement. Diagn. Assess. Dis. Monit. 2026 Apr 23. Ultra-processed food intake, cognitive function, and dementia risk: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged and older Australian adult