"Although I Knew I Was Gaining Weight," Processed Foods Also Cause Severe Memory Loss 'Caution'

High Risk of Developing Alzheimer's
Inflammatory Response and Memory Loss Observed in Mouse Brain Experiments...Eat Foods Rich in DHA

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[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] It is widely known that consuming a lot of highly processed foods leads to weight gain. Recently, another reason to avoid ultra-processed foods has been revealed.

A research team from the Institute of Behavioral Medicine at Ohio State University in the United States reported in the November issue of the scientific journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity that ultra-processed foods significantly damage memory in middle-aged and elderly individuals.

The researchers fed ultra-processed foods to relatively old mice for one month. As a result, a strong inflammatory response appeared in the mice’s brains. Subsequently, several behaviors associated with memory loss followed.

Importantly, the same ultra-processed foods were given to relatively young mice, but no memory decline was observed.

The researchers provided the mice with supplements of highly unsaturated fatty acids (DHA), which are abundant in blue-backed fish oil. Then, symptoms such as memory loss did not appear, and the inflammatory response almost completely disappeared.

The research team made the feed for the mice using potato chips containing preservatives, frozen foods, and cooked meats?the same foods humans eat. Rus Barrientos, a researcher at the Institute of Behavioral Medicine who led this study, confessed, "I was somewhat surprised to see the same phenomenon rapidly progressing in the mice’s brains."

Barrientos warned, "Based on what we have discovered, processed foods seem to rapidly induce fatal memory damage. In middle-aged and elderly people, rapid memory decline is highly likely to lead to degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease."

Therefore, the researchers advised that to prevent memory decline or slow the rate of memory deterioration, consumption of processed foods should be reduced, and foods rich in DHA should be eaten more.