A McMaster University study of 8,783 middle-aged Canadian adults published in JAMA Network Open links high ultraprocessed food consumption to higher body fat and subclinical vascular brain injury. Participants in the highest intake quartile had 40% higher odds of MRI-detected covert brain infarcts or white matter hyperintensities, with a stronger association observed in women. However, short-term cognitive test performance was not affected.
Ultraprocessed food intake and vascular brain injury risk
- ▪In a McMaster University study of 8,783 middle-aged adults published in JAMA Network Open, overall MRI-detected silent vascular brain injury was present in 9.2% of participants, including 11.3% in the highest ultraprocessed food consumption quartile versus 8.1% in the lowest.
- ▪The association between high ultraprocessed food consumption and vascular brain injury remained statistically significant after adjusting for total body fat percentage and visceral adipose tissue volume in the McMaster University study.
- ▪A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open on October 15, 2026, found that middle-aged adults in the highest quartile of ultraprocessed food intake had 40% higher odds of MRI-defined covert brain infarcts or high white matter hyperintensity burden compared to those in the lowest quartile.
- ▪Each additional 5 servings of ultraprocessed foods per 2,000 kcal per day was associated with 16% higher odds of vascular brain injury and 21% higher odds of covert brain infarcts in middle-aged adults, according to a McMaster University study.
Sex differences in vascular brain injury risk
- ▪A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that women in the highest quartile of ultraprocessed food consumption had 78% higher odds of MRI-defined vascular brain injury compared to women in the lowest quartile.
- ▪Exploratory sex-stratified analyses in the McMaster University study showed no statistically significant association between ultraprocessed food intake and vascular brain injury among male participants.
Ultraprocessed food consumption and body fat levels
- ▪A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that middle-aged adults in the highest ultraprocessed food quartile had 1.7 percentage points higher total body fat and 5.7 mL greater visceral adipose tissue volume than those in the lowest quartile.
- ▪A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open observed that the association between higher ultraprocessed food intake and increased total body fat percentage was statistically significant among participants with a body mass index of 30 or greater, but not among those with a lower body mass index.
- ▪In continuous analyses from a McMaster University study, each additional 5 servings of ultraprocessed foods per 2,000 kcal per day was associated with a 0.9 percentage-point increase in total body fat percentage and 4.0 mL greater visceral adipose tissue volume.
Ultraprocessed food intake and cognitive test performance
- ▪A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that higher ultraprocessed food intake was not significantly associated with performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment or the Digit Symbol Substitution Test among middle-aged adults.
- ▪Researchers noted that the lack of association between ultraprocessed food intake and cognitive test scores in the McMaster University study may reflect ceiling effects or high cognitive reserve in the highly educated study cohort.
Study cohort and dietary patterns
- ▪Participants in the McMaster University study derived an average of 42% of their total daily calories from ultraprocessed foods, with median daily consumption ranging from 3.1 servings per 2,000 kcal in the lowest quartile to 12.8 servings in the highest quartile.
- ▪The McMaster University study analyzed baseline data from 8,783 adults aged 35 to 69 years without cardiovascular disease across the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds and the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology-MIND cohort studies.
- ▪Participants in the highest ultraprocessed food quartile consumed 41.5% of daily food servings from minimally processed whole foods compared with 68.6% among those in the lowest quartile, according to the McMaster University study.
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