Study directly links ultra-processed foods to poor health

A landmark study exploring Canadians’ consumption of chips, frozen pizzas, breakfast cereals and other ultra-processed foods typically loaded with fat, sugar and additives has confirmed these foods are directly and significantly linked to poor health outcomes. 

Researchers at McMaster University investigated the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol levels (LDL and HDL), waist circumference and body mass index (BMI).   

Their study is the first in Canada to leverage population-based and robust biomarker data to examine this relationship.  

The team analyzed data from more than 6,000 adults across Canada, representing a diverse range of ages, health conditions and socio-economic backgrounds. The subjects completed a questionnaire for the Canadian Health Measures Survey, conducted by Health Canada and Statistics Canada, and were then personally assessed at mobile clinics.  

Individuals who consumed the most UPF were more likely to be men, and to have lower income levels, less education and to have reported lower fruit and vegetable intake. They had significantly higher BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin, and triglyceride levels than those who consumed the least UPF. 

Researchers noted that many links between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors remained significant even after adjusting for BMI, suggesting that ultra-processed foods may influence health through mechanisms beyond weight gain, such as inflammation, insulin resistance, and poor metabolic regulation – all well-established predictors of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

The associations persisted even after adjusting for physical activity, smoking, the total amount of food consumed and socioeconomic factors including income and education. 

“We have this very complex food supply that is more than just the nutritional composition of a food,” explains Anthea Christoforou, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University and senior author of the paper.  

“It may be about the additives. The way the food is prepared. It's related to the packaging and the marketing of that food. All these things come together to create this food environment that really affects the healthfulness of our diets.” 

The study, published today in the journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, uncovered a strong association between UPF consumption and the presence of C-reactive protein (CRP), which the liver produces in response to inflammation, as well as an increase of white blood cells. 

“These two biomarkers indicate that these foods are causing an inflammatory response in our bodies. In a sense, this suggests that our bodies are seeing these as non-foods, as some kind of other element,” says Christoforou. 

UPFs are ready-to-eat, pre-packaged foods, often high in sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats, while being low in fibre, minerals and vitamins. They are often more convenient, heavily marketed, and appeal to time-pressed consumers, factors that may contribute to higher consumption among lower-income groups and growing health disparities. 

Researchers point out that such foods have come to dominate the global food supply, particularly in middle- and high-income countries. Canadian study participants consumed an average of more than three servings of UPFs per day, but those who consumed the highest amounts averaged six servings daily, and researchers believe UPFs may be replacing healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.   

"Ultra-processed foods are impacting health across all socioeconomic groups," says Angelina Baric, a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster and co-author of the study. "While some populations are more exposed to these foods, our findings show that the health risks persist independently of income and education. This highlights the need for broad, equitable food policies that protect everyone." 

Health Canada currently recommends reducing the consumption of processed foods as part of its healthy eating guidelines and has begun consultations to develop broader strategies for limiting UPFs in the Canadian food supply. 

“We found consistent evidence that eating ultra-processed foods is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors, which not only reinforces the evidence we have seen linking these foods with rising overweight and obesity rates in Canada and other parts of the world, but also provides more detailed information about what’s happening in the body before a full disease,” says Baric. 

In future, the research team plans to develop a study on children’s eating habits as related to processed foods, and female health, focusing on fertility, menses and the onset of menopause.  

They are also investigating the biological mechanisms by which UPFs may trigger inflammation and metabolic dysfunction and exploring the role of affordability and food environments in driving UPF consumption — with the aim of informing more equitable public health strategies. 

Eating avocados during pregnancy associated with lower food allergy risk in baby

First-of-its-kind research links a specific food in maternal diet to lower odds of food allergies in child’s first year of life

An observational study among 2,272 mother-child pairs in Finland found that infants had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months if their mother consumed fresh avocado during pregnancy, after adjusting for other lifestyle, delivery, and maternal health factors.

Decades of research have explored the relationship between maternal diet and allergic outcomes in infants, but this is the first published study to link avocados in the maternal diet to a lower risk of infant food allergies—a growing public health concern that affects nearly one in 13 children, or roughly two in every classroom, according to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE).  

Given food allergy has reached epidemic levels, the Avocado Nutrition Center supported this research to grow the world’s understanding of how avocado, a food with nutrients that support fetal and infant development, may further benefit children.

“As a caregiver, the growing prevalence of food allergy feels very scary and out of my control,” says Sari Hantunen, study author and Senior University Lecturer at the University of Eastern Finland. “There is no cure for food allergy, but promising prevention and therapeutic strategies are in development as well as emerging research such as this. Based on these findings, it’s encouraging to know that eating avocados may provide even more value to maternal and children’s health, beyond the benefits that have already been established through scientific research.”

Researchers analyzed data collected from 2013 to 2022 as part of the Kuopio Birth Cohort (KuBiCo). Avocado intake was assessed using an online food frequency questionnaire during the first and third trimesters. Participants who reported eating any avocado (>0 grams) in either trimester were defined as avocado consumers, and non-consumers were those who did not report consuming any avocado in either trimester.

Infant allergic outcomes, including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, eczema, and food allergy, were evaluated at 12-months of age. After adjusting for factors such as maternal and gestational age at delivery, education, diet quality, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI in the first trimester, and breastfeeding, food allergy was found to be significantly higher in infants of non-avocado consumers (4.2%) versus avocado consumers (2.4%). No associations were found for other allergic conditions when all other factors were considered.

Mothers who consumed avocado during pregnancy tended to be older at delivery, be less likely to undergo a caesarean delivery, be a non-smoker, breastfeed for a longer duration, have higher diet quality scores, and have lower BMI levels in the first trimester.  

Findings from this study cannot establish causation or be applied to all audiences, and while more research is needed to understand the exact mechanism, they underscore the value of avocados which provide the following nutrients per serving (1/3 medium avocado):

• A good source of fiber, a nutrient most Americans under-consume
• A good source of folate, essential for fetal neural and heart development
• Lutein (136 mcg), critical for proper eye development in utero
• Naturally good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated fats), vital for early structural and functional brain development

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends pregnant women eat 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups of vegetables a day and toddlers aged 12-23 months eat 2/3 - 1 cup per day. One avocado counts as a cup. 

To help healthcare providers encourage healthy dietary habits from the start and further the food is medicine movement, a free resource, Healthy Beginnings: A Health Professional’s Roadmap to Cultivating Healthy Habits in Moms, Babies, Children and Adolescents is available here.

Are you curious? It might help you stay sharp as you age

New research shows questions you ask and interest in lifelong learning might protect against Alzheimer's disease

What is the trick to aging successfully? If you’re curious about learning the answer, you might already be on the right track, according to an international team of psychologists including several from UCLA. Their research shows that some forms of curiosity can increase well into old age and suggests that older adults who maintain curiosity and want to learn new things relevant to their interests may be able to offset or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, those who show muted curiosity and disinterest may be at risk for dementia. The finding contradicts prior research that showed that curiosity decreases with age.

“The psychology literature shows that oftentimes what's known as trait curiosity, or a person’s general level of curiosity, tends to decline with age,” said UCLA psychologist Alan Castel, who is the senior author of a new paper published in the journal PLOS One. “But we thought that was a little bit strange and went against some of the things we saw in some of the older adult participants in our experiments, who would often be very engaged and interested in learning about memory, specifically, but even other forms of trivia.”

Castel and Mary Whatley, who led the research as a doctoral student at UCLA and is now an assistant professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, and colleagues Kou Murayama and Michiko Sakaki at the University of Tübingen and Kochi University of Technology, wondered if the answer lay in a different type of curiosity called state curiosity.

State curiosity is what psychologists call the kind of momentary feeling of curiosity people experience when they are asked about specific topics. Trait curiosity, on the other hand, is a personality trait. Some people, for example, might not be very inquisitive by nature, being content to accept things more or less at face value (trait curiosity), but have a passionate thirst for knowledge in specific topics or hobbies (state curiosity). All people possess varying degrees of both trait and state curiosity.

To tease apart the two types of curiosity, the researchers recruited a large sample of participants between the ages of 20 and 84, with an average age of 44, to complete an

online questionnaire designed to assess how curious they were in general, or their trait curiosity. Then, to test state curiosity, the researchers asked the participants to guess the answers to hard trivia questions that most people were unlikely to already know — e.g., What was the first country to give women the right to vote? The researchers asked people to guess an answer, then asked participants how interested they were to know the answer before showing the correct answer (if you are curious: New Zealand).

Analysis showed that the two kinds of curiosity are correlated: People who have more state curiosity also experience more trait curiosity, and vice versa. In general, trait curiosity did decline across the adult lifespan. However, the interest ratings people gave in learning new information from trivia — a measure of state curiosity — declined in early adulthood, then increased sharply after middle age and continued upward well into old age. The finding, Castel said, mirrors research that shows a dip in happiness in midlife.

One reason for the discrepancy, the researchers suggest, is that until middle age, people are usually interested in acquiring the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to succeed at school and their jobs, pay mortgages and raise families, and thus a fairly high level of overall curiosity is needed. These obligations also come with stressors that could contribute to a decline in overall happiness. But as they age and gather this knowledge, they don’t need to allocate as many resources to trait curiosity. As their children leave home and they begin to retire, for example, people can indulge specific interests, and state curiosity increases.

“Our findings fit with some of my work on selectivity theory, which is that as we get older, we don’t want to stop learning, we’re just more selective about what we want to learn,” Castel said. “You see this in the context of lifelong learning: A lot of older adults will go back to take classes or pick up hobbies or engage in bird watching. I think it shows that this level of curiosity, if maintained, can really keep us sharp as we age.”

Castel said that his research on memory has shown that people tend to quickly forget information that doesn’t engage their curiosity.

“As we get older, maybe we want to be focused on the things that are important, and we forget the things that are less relevant,” Castel said. “Anecdotally, a lot of older adults I speak to say that it's important to stay curious. That fits with some of the research that shows that people who have early stages of dementia might show disinterest in things that they once enjoyed.”

This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, the Leverhulme Trust and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

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Journal

PLOS One

Exercise helps improve how our brain ages

 

Yes, exercise makes a positive difference for brain health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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image: 

"Our message is simple: Exercise that gives you a slightly higher heart rate and heavy breathing is medicine – also for the brain," say researchers Ulrik Wisløff and Atefe R. Tari, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. 

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Credit: Photo: BERRE Communication Agency

The news that even small amounts of physical activity can provide major health benefits received a lot of attention in Norway when the researchers Ulrik Wisløff and Atefe R from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) published their book “Microtraining – 7 weeks to boost fitness and strength” (in Norwegian) in January this year.

Now the same researchers have looked at the connection between physical activity, or being in good physical shape, and brain health. This research was conducted with colleagues from the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia.

Promising measures

The study, which has been published in the British medical journal The Lancet, shows that the brain definitely benefits from physical activity.

Even small amounts of high intensity exercise have an effect on the brain. This should be communicated more clearly – it may be what motivates people to get started.

Endurance training and good fitness can reduce the risk of dementia and promote healthy brain aging.

” And it is never too late to start,” says Atefe R. Tari, the study’s first author.

Even small amounts of physical activity may be enough to protect the aging brain, the researchers concluded.

“We summarize research that clearly indicates that exercise is not only important for the heart, but also for the brain. Physical activity appears to be one of the most promising measures we have to prevent cognitive decline and dementia,”  Tari said.

Slows down aging processes

The article evaluated evidence from both animal and human studies, and shows how physical activity affects inflammation, blood flow, immune function, brain plasticity and the release of protective molecules in the blood – processes that weaken with age and contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

“These are mechanisms that play an important role in the development of dementia and cognitive decline,” Tari said.

Tari and Wisløff are researchers at the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at NTNU, and have previously promoted the idea that microtraining – going from no activity to incorporating small doses of pulse training into everyday life – be included in the recommendations from Norwegian health authorities.

Today, the recommendation is at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of high intensity per week.

“Fully 50 to 70 per cent of the population does not manage today’s activity recommendations, Wisløff said.

Small doses – high intensity

The researchers point out that exercising much less than what the current recommendations recommend can provide great benefits – as long as the intensity of the training is high.

Tari and Wisløff believe that this new study makes it even more important to get the message out.

“We believe it’s time for health authorities to provide clearer advice on how important exercise is for the brain. Our review shows that even small doses of high-intensity activity – equivalent to brisk walking where you can’t sing – can reduce the risk of dementia by up to 40 per cent,” Wisløff said.

Never too late to start

International research supports the NTNU researchers’ findings.  In a commentary in Nature Medicine in January, American researchers argued that public guidelines need to be updated. Even small doses of physical activity provide health benefits.

“Today’s recommendations emphasize total activity, but we show that even small amounts of high intensity exercise have an effect on the brain. This should be communicated more clearly – it may be what motivates people to get started. A little is better than nothing – and it’s never too late to start,” says Tari.

As life expectancy increases, cognitive decline and dementia are becoming a major public health challenge. Since there is still no cure, prevention is crucial.

“Exercise is cheap, accessible and has no side effects. It should be considered a first-line measure to preserve brain health,” Tari said.

Reference:
Neuroprotective mechanisms of exercise and the importance of fitness for healthy brain ageing. Tari, Atefe R et al. The Lancet, Volume 405, Issue 10484, 1093 – 1118

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Journal

The Lancet

DOI

10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00184-9 

Everyday actions and behaviours linked to better mental well-being

Regular chats with friends, time spent in nature and mentally engaging activities are strongly linked to better mental health, according to new Curtin University research that highlights the power of simple, everyday behaviours to improve well-being.

 

The study surveyed more than 600 Western Australian adults and found people who chatted with others daily scored 10 points higher on a standard mental well-being scale than those who did so less than once a week.

 

Spending time in nature every day was associated with a five-point increase, while frequent catch-ups with friends, physical activity, practising spirituality and helping others were also linked to improved mental well-being.

 

Lead author Professor Christina Pollard from Curtin’s School of Population Health said the findings offer clear evidence that low-cost, accessible actions can play a meaningful role in maintaining good mental health and well-being.

 

“These aren’t expensive programs or clinical interventions - they’re behaviours that are already part of many people’s lives and can be easily encouraged through public health messaging,” Professor Pollard said.

 

“Regular connection with others, even a daily chat, can make a measurable difference to how people feel. Similarly, spending time outdoors or doing something that requires thinking and concentrating like doing crosswords, reading or learning a new language provides an important mental reset.”

 

The research evaluated 15 behaviours promoted by the Act Belong Commit campaign and found mental well-being increased consistently with the frequency of participation in these behaviours. Awareness of the campaign was high, with 86 per cent of participants recognising it, while nearly all agreed that mental health should be prioritised alongside physical health.

 

Despite being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions limited social interactions, 93 per cent of respondents reported no psychological distress and average mental well-being scores were comparable to international pre-pandemic norms.

 

Professor Pollard said the study provides a strong case for long-term investment in population-wide mental health promotion campaigns that go beyond awareness and empower people to take meaningful action.

 

“This research confirms that when people are supported and encouraged to engage in mentally healthy behaviours, the benefits can be felt across the community,” Professor Pollard said.

 

“It’s about prevention, not just treatment - helping people stay mentally well before they reach crisis point.”

 

The study, ‘The association between participation in mental health protective behaviours and mental well-being: cross sectional survey among Western Australian adults’, is published in SSM – Mental Health and can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100441

 

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of frailty

  A new study1 published in the European Journal of Nutrition has suggested that habitual coffee consumption of 4-6 cups and over* (with one cup measuring at 125ml) per day is associated with a reduced risk of frailty. The study, funded by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) is the first to analyse the relationship between coffee consumption and the underlying components of frailty.

Coffee consumption has previously been linked to reducing the risk of some of the natural symptoms of ageing, such as improving cognitive function2 and mitigating against inflammatory related diseases3. This latest research adds to the growing knowledge base within this area, exploring the benefits of regular coffee consumption over an extended period of time. 

For this study, researchers conducted a detailed analysis over a long seven-year follow-up period, surveying 1,161 adults aged 55+ years through the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). 

The relationship between coffee consumption and the presence and incidence of frailty was investigated. Frailty status was evaluated using Fried’s five-component frailty phenotype4,which is defined by the presence of three or more of the following symptoms: weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow gait (walking) speed, and low physical activity.

The results of this study indicate that higher habitual coffee consumption is associated with lower overall odds of frailty. These findings can be considered alongside the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific opinion that up to 400mg of caffeine (3-5 cups of coffee) per day is a moderate and safe amount5.

The researchers explain that coffee’s effect on reducing frailty can partly be attributed to the role of antioxidants in coffee, which may help to reduce inflammation, sarcopenia (muscle loss), and prevention of muscle damage. Coffee may also help to improve regulating insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in older people.

The study’s lead author, Margreet R. Olthof, Associate Professor at the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, commented: “Drinking coffee is a key part of many people’s daily routine, and as people age they are constantly looking for ways to maintain their health. Our findings highlight the possible beneficial association between daily coffee consumption and reduced risk of frailty in later life in the older population. Coffee consumption may thus enhance healthy aging, but it is important we also explore further dietary interventions, to ensure older adults can continue to live fulfilling lives.” 

* Moderate coffee consumption can be defined as 3–5 cups per day, based on the European Food Safety Authority’s review of caffeine safety5.

Increasing physical activity in middle age may protect against Alzheimer's disease

 

An increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, while inactivity may be detrimental to brain health. This is the main conclusion of a scientific paper published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, which highlights the need to promote physical activity among middle-aged adults. The study is the result of a collaboration between the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation, and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), a research centre of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.

It is estimated that 13% of Alzheimer's disease cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. While extensive research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease by improving cardiovascular and mental health, recent studies suggest that physical activity may have a direct impact on the development of brain pathology associated with the disease.

The study, led by Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, researcher at ISGlobal, included 337 participants from the ALFA+ longitudinal cohort, part of the ALFA study (ALzheimer's and FAmilies) at the BBRC, supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation. “We conducted a four-year follow-up of middle-aged residents of Catalonia with a family history of Alzheimer's disease,” explains Müge Akıncı, doctoral researcher at ISGlobal and the BBRC at the time of the study and first author of the paper. “We used physical activity questionnaires to assess changes in activity over a four-year period and neuroimaging tests to analyse the effects of exercise on brain structure and function,” she adds. Participants were classified as adherent (meeting WHO recommendations), non-adherent (doing less than the recommended amount of physical activity), and sedentary (doing zero minutes of physical activity per week).

 

Benefits of physical activity on brain mechanisms

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) is a protein that can impair neural communication when it accumulates in the brain and is considered the first pathological event in Alzheimer's disease. Participants who increased their physical activity to meet WHO-recommended levels showed less beta-amyloid accumulation than those who remained sedentary or reduced their physical activity. Moreover, this effect appeared to be dose-dependent; the greater the increase in activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid burden.

Non-sedentary participants also showed a greater cortical thickness in brain regions associated with Alzheimer's disease. Cortical thickness in the medial temporal area is crucial for memory, so its thinning or atrophy (loss of volume) is an early sign of neurodegeneration.

“Even those who did less physical activity than recommended had greater cortical thickness than sedentary people, suggesting that any amount of exercise, no matter how minimal, has health benefits,” explains Müge Akıncı.

 

More exercise as a prevention strategy

The research team looked at both the increase in physical activity and the adherence to WHO recommendations. They observed that the benefits of physical activity appear to be related to increasing activity over time, rather than reaching a specific activity threshold.

“These findings reinforce the importance of promoting physical activity in middle age as a public health strategy for Alzheimer's prevention,” emphasises Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, ISGlobal researcher and lead investigator of the study. “Interventions aimed at promoting increased physical activity could be key to reducing the incidence of the disease in the future,” she concludes.