Observational research stories

Oct 18, 2026

Ultraprocessed food intake linked to silent vascular brain injury, study finds

A cross-sectional study of nearly 9,000 Canadian adults found that higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods was associated with silent vascular brain injury in middle-aged adults without cardiovascular disease, though no apparent effect on cognition was observed. The research also linked ultraprocessed food intake to greater body fat.

Oct 18, 20263 sources

Top claims

▪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.
▪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.

Subtopics

Brain longevity1 Cardiovascular diseases1 Chronic disease prevention1 Dietary patterns1 Nutrition1 Public health research1 Ultra processed foods1

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