Ultra-processed food intake tracks with brain-injury signs in 8,783 adults

Adults aged 35 to 69 who ate the most ultra-processed foods had 1.7% more body fat and higher odds of vascular brain injury in a JAMA Network Open study published Oct. 15.

Evidence grade: Moderate (consistent observational data or small trials). The cross-sectional analysis covered 8,783 adults without cardiovascular disease, but it assessed people once and cannot show directionality between diet and brain changes.

The participants were enrolled in the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds and Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology-MIND cohorts. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to look for vascular brain injury, a marker of blood-vessel-related brain damage.

Ultra-processed foods accounted for an average of 25% of participants’ daily diets. The highest-intake group got 45% of daily food intake from these products, compared with 16% in the lowest-intake group.

“These findings are concerning, but it is important to remember that an association does not prove cause and effect,” Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian at Entirely Nourished who was not involved in the study, told Healthline.

The study used the NOVA classification for ultra-processed foods. Healthline described the category as foods that typically have five or more ingredients and substances not usually used in home cooking, including packaged snack foods, sugary cereals, soft drinks and frozen ready-to-eat meals.

The dietary pattern also appeared to differ beyond the ultra-processed category. Among people with the highest intake, fruits, vegetables, grains and other minimally processed foods made up 41% of daily intake, compared with 68% among those with the lowest ultra-processed food intake.

Researchers found no significant differences in cognitive performance. The brain-imaging findings matter because vascular brain injury has been associated with higher risk of stroke and cognitive decline, but this study did not track later strokes, dementia or memory loss.

The study cannot show that reducing ultra-processed foods would improve brain health.

“While we can’t conclude from this study that limiting UPFs would improve brain health, we have decades of literature demonstrating that higher intakes of green leafy vegetables, brightly colored fruits, whole grains, and lean protein sources are good for brain health,” Suzanne Judd, director of the UC College of Medicine’s Center for Public Health, told Healthline.

The findings apply to adults aged 35 to 69 without cardiovascular disease in these cohorts. They do not establish the same association for children, older adults, pregnant people or people with existing cardiovascular disease.

Source: Healthline News article summarising a JAMA Network Open study, Oct. 18, 2026.

Atlas360 reports health research and does not provide medical advice.