Health
Dementia risk rises with common food type millions eat every day, study suggests
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It’s well-known that ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are not good for overall health — but new research has uncovered further evidence that this diet could negatively impact the brain.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia by the Alzheimer’s Association, revealed that UPFs are linked to more than 30 adverse health outcomes, including several dementia risk factors, like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Researchers from Australia’s Monash University analyzed more than 2,000 dementia-free Australian adults between the ages of 40 and 70, comparing their diets to cognitive function.
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They found that each 10% increase in UPF intake was associated with lower attention scores and higher dementia risk, regardless of whether the adults typically followed a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet.
There was no significant link found between UPF consumption and memory.
Each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake was associated with lower attention scores and higher dementia risk, the study found. (iStock)
By identifying food processing as a contributor to poorer cognition, the study “supports the need to refine dietary guidelines,” the researchers concluded.
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As the data was self-reported, this could pose a limitation to the strength of the findings, the team noted.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Daniel Amen, a California-based psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, discussed how diet has a “powerful impact” on the brain.
“[The brain] uses about 20% of the calories you consume, so the quality of those calories matters,” Dr. Daniel Amen told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Your brain is an energy-hungry organ,” he said. “It uses about 20% of the calories you consume, so the quality of those calories matters.”
Food is either “medicine or poison,” according to the doctor, who called out ultraprocessed foods like packaged snacks, soft drinks and ready-made meals that tend to be higher in sugar, unhealthy fats, additives and low-quality ingredients.
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These foods can promote inflammation, insulin resistance, poor blood flow and oxidative stress, all of which are “bad for the brain,” according to Amen.
The brain expert noted that the study revealed even a 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake – equivalent to roughly a pack of chips per day – was linked to a “measurable drop in attention, even when people had otherwise healthy diets.”
About one package of chips per day can result in cognition changes, according to the study findings. (iStock)
“Attention is the gateway to learning, memory, decision-making and problem-solving,” Amen said. “If you can’t focus, you can’t fully encode information.”
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The “big takeaway,” according to the doctor, is to “love foods that love you back.”
“You may love the taste of chips, cookies and candy, but they don’t love you (or your brain) back,” he said. “Ultraprocessed foods may claim to be sugar-free, low-carb or keto-friendly, but researchers noted that ultraprocessing can destroy the natural structure of food – and can introduce additives or processing chemicals that may affect cognition.”
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Amen suggests sticking to real food that grows on plants or animals, instead of food “made in plants.”
“Build meals around colorful vegetables and fruits, clean protein, healthy fats, nuts, seeds and high-fiber carbohydrates,” he recommended. “Start by replacing one ultraprocessed food per day with a brain-healthy option.”
That might mean swapping out chips for nuts, soda for water or unsweetened green tea, and packaged sweets for berries. “Small choices done consistently can change your brain and your life,” the doctor emphasized.
As UPFs have been shown to worsen several dementia risk factors, Amen stressed that people at risk of cognitive decline should “get serious about prevention as early as possible.”
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“If you have a family history of dementia, memory concerns, diabetes, high blood pressure or weight issues, your diet is not a side issue – it’s a primary brain-health intervention,” Amen said.
“Remember, you’re not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better, and it starts with the next bite.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
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A new test could make it easier to detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier.
The blood test, called Stockholm3, is showing promise in clinical trials, beating out the traditional, standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied the test’s efficacy in more than 12,000 men — mostly Swedish or European — aged 50 to 74.
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All participants were tested with PSA and Stockholm3 and were followed for two years. During the follow-up period, 443 men were diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests. (iStock)
Stockholm3 missed “significantly fewer” serious cancer cases than PSA. The number of men incorrectly classified as high-risk was similar across both tests, according to a press release.
Thorgerdur Palsdottir, a researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, wrote in a statement that one of the major challenges in prostate cancer is being able to identify the cases that are “truly dangerous.”
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“Our results show that Stockholm3 identifies significantly more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing the number of unnecessary follow-ups,” she said.
“These results point toward a potential change in how prostate cancer screening can be conducted,” the researcher added. “A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures.”
“A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures,” a researcher commented. (iStock)
Study co-author Hari Vigneswaran, chief medical officer of Stockholm3-maker A3P Biomedical, commented on these “promising” findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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He confirmed that the PSA has been the standard for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s despite its “well-documented limitations.”
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“It leads to invasive and costly follow-up testing, contributes to over-diagnosis of non-aggressive cancers and, most importantly, it misses a substantial share of aggressive disease,” Vigneswaran said.
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival is close to 100%. (iStock)
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival rate is close to 100%, which highlights the importance of early detection, according to the doctor.
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Data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database show that metastatic prostate cancer has risen over the past decade, suggesting that “we have not improved early detection of the aggressive, curable disease that screening is meant to catch,” Vigneswaran said.
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“The goal of screening is to find the cancers that need treatment while they are still curable, without raising the number of men who screen positive but don’t have aggressive disease,” he said.
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher. (Getty Images)
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher.
The findings did have some limitations. Stockholm3 is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the U.S., Vigneswaran noted.
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The test estimates a man’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer, but a biopsy remains the gold standard for confirming the disease.
The company plans to seek FDA approval to use the test for routine screening and will “generate the evidence needed to support that pathway, including U.S. data,” Vigneswaran said.
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Scientists have linked eating leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli to better lung health.
There are two primary forms of vitamin K found in foods. The primary kind is vitamin K1, found mainly in vegetables, which plays a major role in the body’s blood-clotting process.
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Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, certain dairy products, eggs and meats and helps regulate calcium in the body and supports bone health.
Researchers at Australia’s Edith Cowan University examined whether dietary intake of vitamins K1 and K2 was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung function.
Leafy green vegetables are high in vitamin K1, a nutrient that researchers have observed conributes to improved lung health. (iStock)
“Chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, are among the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases worldwide and were the third leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for 4 million deaths and affecting 454.6 million individuals globally,” the scientists reported in the introduction to their study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Although asthma and COPD can be managed with available treatments, neither condition is curable, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies,” they added.
The leading cause of COPD is smoking, the Mayo Clinic reported. Exposure to other irritants, such as dust, chemicals and pollution, can also cause it.
The researchers analyzed data from 179,062 participants over a 10-and-a-half-year period and concluded that, “Higher dietary vitamin K1 intake was associated with better lung function and a lower rate of COPD.”
Researchers found that people who increased their vitamin K1 intake were less likely to develop COPD. (iStock)
Participants who consumed the most vitamin K1 had a 16% lower likelihood of COPD, the researchers observed. The effects were more pronounced in smokers and participants with high-risk occupations.
Consumption of vitamin K2 did not result in lower COPD rates.
“No association was observed for vitamin K1 or vitamin K2 intakes and asthma,” the researchers also wrote.
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Associate Professor Marc Sim, who was involved in the study, said that it’s likely Vitamin K activates a protein that may help keep lung tissue flexible and prevent damage.
Because the study was observational, it cannot prove that vitamin K1 directly reduces COPD risk, only that higher intake was associated with better lung health.
Researchers have associated higher consumption of leafy green vegetables with better lung function. (iStock)
Just one extra serving of leafy greens “is an achievable way to boost your vitamin K1 intake,” said Chengfeng Li, one of the study’s researchers.
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Other foods rich in vitamin K1 include collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts and turnip greens.
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