Chips ‘n’ Dips may be costing your adult brain more than you think!

A new study implicates that when older adults consume high quantities of processed foods, their cognitive functions get affected. The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, observed aging rats on a diet of highly processed foods for four weeks.

The result showed a strong inflammatory response in their brains accompanied by behavioral signs of memory loss. Researchers also found that supplementing the processed diet with the omega-3 fatty acid DHA prevented memory problems and reduced the inflammatory effects almost entirely in older rats. On the other hand, when younger rats were exposed to a similar diet, cognitive problems did not appear.

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The study diet mimicked ready-to-eat human foods that are often packaged for long shelf life, such as potato chips and other snacks, frozen entrees like pasta dishes and pizzas, and deli meats containing preservatives.

Highly processed diets are also associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. These findings indicate that consumption of a processed diet can produce significant and abrupt memory deficits and in the aging population, rapid memory decline can lead to Alzheimer's disease.

Therefore, it is important to limit processed foods intake and increase consumption of foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acid DHA to control the progression of cognitive disorders with growing age.

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