🍔🍩 Da Kine Connection Between Nuff Processed Grinds And Yoa Brain Health 🧠
Ey, listen up cuz! You know all da kine processed kaukau we stay eating, like da cereal and frozen meals? Research say dey get plenny link to all kine bad vibes like anxiety, depression, and even yo brain going downhill. Da scientists still trying fo figure out da why and how.🤔🔬
Brah, like 60 percent of da calories in da average American diet come from dis kine processed kaukau. We already know fo long time dat eating dese kine packaged stuffs – like some breakfast cereals, snack bars, frozen meals and almost all da kine packaged sweets, plus plenny more stuffs – can lead to all kine health problems, like higha risk for diabetes, obesity and even cancer. But da recent studies show one more major problem: dey can mess up our brains, too. 🍭🍕🎂🧠💥
Da research from da last ten or so years show dat da more ultraprocessed foods one person eats, da more likely dey feel all depressed and anxious. Few studies even suggest a link between eating UPFs and increased risk of cognitive decline. 😟🍟🍦🧠⬇️
So what da deal with these kaukaus, and how we can avoid da mental kine problems? Da scientists still working on da answers, but here’s what we know so far. 🕵️♂️🔍🍩🧁🍔
What is considered one ultraprocessed kaukau? Back in 2009, some Brazilian researchers wen put kaukau on a four-part scale, from unprocessed and minimally processed (like fruits, vegetables, rice and flour) to processed (oils, butter, sugar, dairy products, some canned foods, and smoked meats and fish) and ultraprocessed. “Ultraprocessed foods include ingredients that are rarely used in homemade recipes — such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates and chemical additives” like colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and preservatives, said Eurídice Martínez Steele, a researcher in food processing at University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This classification system is now used widely by nutrition researchers. UPFs make up a majority of the packaged foods you find in the frozen food aisles at grocery stores and on the menu at fast-food restaurants — 70 percent of the packaged foods sold in the United States are considered ultraprocessed. They’re increasingly edging out healthier foods in people’s diets and are widely consumed across socioeconomic groups. 🛒🍔🍟🌭🍕
“Ultraprocessed foods are carefully formulated to be so ono and satisfying that they’re almost addictive,” said Dr. Eric M. Hecht, one epidemiologist at the Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. “The problem is that in order to make the products taste more ono, manufacturers make them less and less like real kaukau.” 🏭🥫🍬🍭
What kine effect do ultraprocessed foods have on mental health? Recent research wen show one link between highly processed foods and low mood. In one 2022 study of over 10,000 adults in the United States, the more UPFs participants ate, the more likely they were to report mild depression or feelings of anxiety. “There was a significant increase in mentally unhealthy days for those eating 60 percent or more of their calories from UPFs,” Dr. Hecht, the study’s author, said. “This is not proof of causation, but we can say that there seems to be an association.” 🤔🍔🍟🍦🧁🍬
New research also wen find one connection between high UPF consumption and cognitive decline. One 2022 study that followed nearly 11,000 Brazilian adults over one decade wen find one correlation between eating ultraprocessed foods and worse cognitive function (da ability to learn, remember, reason and solve problems). “While we have a natural decline in these abilities with age, we saw that this decline accelerated by 28 percent in people who consume more than 20 percent of their calories from UPFs,” said Natalia Gomes Goncalves, one professor at the University of São Paulo Medical School and the lead author of the study. 🧠⬇️📉🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭
It’s possible that eating a healthy diet may offset the detrimental effects of eating ultraprocessed foods. The Brazilian researchers wen find that following a healthy eating regimen, like the MIND diet — which is rich in whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, berries, fish, chicken and olive oil — greatly reduced the dementia risk associated with consuming ultraprocessed foods. Those who followed the MIND diet but still ate UPFs “had no association between UPF consumption and cognitive decline,” Dr. Goncalves said, adding that researchers still don’t know what a safe quantity of UPFs is. 🥗🥦🐟🍗🥜
Why might ultraprocessed foods have this effect? It’s unclear. “Many high-quality, randomized studies have shown the beneficial effect of a nutrient-dense diet on depression, but we still do not fully understand the role of food processing on mental health,” said Melissa Lane, a researcher at the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. However, there are some clues. 🕵️♀️🔍🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋
Much of the research has focused on how poor gut health might affect the brain. Diets that are high in ultraprocessed foods are typically low in fiber, which is mostly found in plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fiber helps feed the good bacteria in the gut. Fiber is also necessary for the production of short-chain fatty acids, the substances produced when it breaks down in the digestive system, and which play an important role in brain function, said Wolfgang Marx, the president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research and a senior research fellow at Deakin University. “We know that people with depression and other mental disorders have a less diverse composition of gut bacteria and fewer short-chain fatty acids.” 🥦🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🥕
Chemical additives in UPFs might also have an impact on gut flora. “Emerging evidence — mostly from animal studies, but also some human data — suggests that isolated nutrients (like fructose), additives such as artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and saccharin) or emulsifiers (like carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80) can negatively influence the gut microbiome,” Dr. Marx said. 🍭🍬🍦🍩🍔🍟🍕
Poor gut microbiota diversity — as well as a diet high in sugar — may contribute to chronic inflammation, which has been linked to plenty kine mental and physical issues, Dr. Lane said. “Interactions between increased inflammation and the brain are thought to drive the development of depression,” she said. 😔🍭🍬🍦🍩
It’s also worth considering da possibility dat da link between highly processed foods and mental health works in both directions. “Diet does influence mood, but da reverse is also true,” said Dr. Frank Hu, one professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “When you get stressed, anxious or depressed, you tend to eat more unhealthy foods, in particular ultraprocessed foods dat are high in sugar, fat and chemical additives.” 🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭🍬😔😟😢
How fo recognize ultraprocessed foods Da best way fo identify ultraprocessed foods is to read product labels. “A long list of ingredients, and especially one dat includes ingredients you would never use in home cooking,” are clues dat the food is ultraprocessed, said Whitney Linsenmeyer, one assistant professor of nutrition at Saint Louis University in Missouri and one spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Chemical names, unpronounceable words, and anything you would be unlikely to find in one kitchen cabinet are often signs dat a food is in da ultraprocessed category. 🏷️👀🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭
You can still use convenience foods to make cooking easier without resorting to ultraprocessed foods. Products such as canned beans, frozen vegetables, precooked brown rice or canned fish are all shortcut ingredients dat fit well within the scope of a healthy diet, provided there aren’t any industrial items on the ingredient list. “If the added ingredients are ones you would use yourself, like herbs, spices, salt or cooking oils,” Dr. Linsenmeyer said, “that’s an indication that the food, while processed, is not inherently bad for you.” 🍅🥦🍚🐟🥘
So guys, we gotta watch wat we grind if we like stay healthy, no? Not just for our body, but for our brains too. Remember, good kaukau means good health, yeah? So next time you shopping, try avoid da “ultraprocessed” stuffs, and go for more fresh and natural stuffs. Da more we know, da better we can take care ourselves and our ohana. 🍏🍎
NOW IN ENGLISH
🍔🍩 The Connection Between Consuming Plenty of Processed Foods and Your Brain Health 🧠
Hey, pay attention! Do you know the kind of processed food we consume regularly, like cereals and frozen meals? Research has found a strong connection to various mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and even cognitive decline. Scientists are still working to understand why and how this happens.🤔🔬
Did you know that 60 percent of the calories in the average American diet come from these processed foods? We’ve known for a long time that eating these types of packaged items – such as certain breakfast cereals, snack bars, frozen meals, and almost all packaged sweets, among many other things – can lead to various health problems, including a higher risk of diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. However, recent studies have revealed another significant issue: they can also damage our brains. 🍭🍕🎂🧠💥
Research from the past decade or so has shown that the more ultra-processed foods a person consumes, the more likely they are to experience feelings of depression and anxiety. Some studies even suggest a link between eating ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and an increased risk of cognitive decline. 😟🍟🍦🧠⬇️
So, what’s the deal with these foods, and how can we prevent mental health issues? Scientists are still searching for answers, but here’s what we know so far. 🕵️♂️🔍🍩🧁🍔
What is considered an ultra-processed food? Back in 2009, Brazilian researchers devised a four-part scale for categorizing food, from unprocessed and minimally processed (like fruits, vegetables, rice, and flour) to processed (oils, butter, sugar, dairy products, certain canned foods, and smoked meats and fish) and ultra-processed. “Ultra-processed foods include ingredients that are rarely used in homemade recipes — such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, and chemical additives” like colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and preservatives, according to Eurídice Martínez Steele, a researcher in food processing at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This classification system is now widely used by nutrition researchers. UPFs make up a majority of the packaged foods you find in the frozen food aisles at grocery stores and on the menu at fast-food restaurants — 70 percent of the packaged foods sold in the United States are considered ultra-processed. They’re increasingly replacing healthier foods in people’s diets and are widely consumed across socioeconomic groups. 🛒🍔🍟🌭🍕
“Ultra-processed foods are carefully formulated to be so delicious and satisfying that they’re almost addictive,” said Dr. Eric M. Hecht, an epidemiologist at the Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. “The problem is that in order to make the products taste better, manufacturers make them less and less like real food.” 🏭🥫🍬🍭
What impact do ultra-processed foods have on mental health? Recent research has identified a link between highly processed foods and low mood. In a 2022 study of over 10,000 adults in the United States, the more UPFs participants ate, the more likely they were to report mild depression or feelings of anxiety. “There was a significant increase in mentally unhealthy days for those eating 60 percent or more of their calories from UPFs,” Dr. Hecht, the study’s author, said. “This is not proof of causation, but we can say that there seems to be an association.” 🤔🍔🍟🍦🧁🍬
New research has also found a connection between high UPF consumption and cognitive decline. A 2022 study that followed nearly 11,000 Brazilian adults over a decade found a correlation between eating ultra-processed foods and worse cognitive function (the ability to learn, remember, reason, and solve problems). “While we have a natural decline in these abilities with age, we saw that this decline accelerated by 28 percent in people who consume more than 20 percent of their calories from UPFs,” said Natalia Gomes Goncalves, a professor at the University of São Paulo Medical School and the lead author of the study. 🧠⬇️📉🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭
It’s possible that eating a healthy diet may offset the detrimental effects of eating ultra-processed foods. The Brazilian researchers found that following a healthy eating regimen, like the MIND diet — which is rich in whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, berries, fish, chicken and olive oil — greatly reduced the dementia risk associated with consuming ultra-processed foods. Those who followed the MIND diet but still ate UPFs “had no association between UPF consumption and cognitive decline,” Dr. Goncalves said, adding that researchers still don’t know what a safe quantity of UPFs is. 🥗🥦🐟🍗🥜
Why might ultra-processed foods have this effect? It’s unclear. “Many high-quality, randomized studies have shown the beneficial effect of a nutrient-dense diet on depression, but we still do not fully understand the role of food processing on mental health,” said Melissa Lane, a researcher at the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. However, there are some clues. 🕵️♀️🔍🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋
Much of the research has focused on how poor gut health might affect the brain. Diets that are high in ultra-processed foods are typically low in fiber, which is mostly found in plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Fiber helps feed the good bacteria in the gut. Fiber is also necessary for the production of short-chain fatty acids, the substances produced when it breaks down in the digestive system, and which play an important role in brain function, said Wolfgang Marx, the president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research and a senior research fellow at Deakin University. “We know that people with depression and other mental disorders have a less diverse composition of gut bacteria and fewer short-chain fatty acids.” 🥦🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🥕
Chemical additives in UPFs might also have an impact on gut flora. “Emerging evidence — mostly from animal studies, but also some human data — suggests that isolated nutrients (like fructose), additives such as artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and saccharin) or emulsifiers (like carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80) can negatively influence the gut microbiome,” Dr. Marx said. 🍭🍬🍦🍩🍔🍟🍕
Poor gut microbiota diversity — as well as a diet high in sugar — may contribute to chronic inflammation, which has been linked to plenty of mental and physical issues, Dr. Lane said. “Interactions between increased inflammation and the brain are thought to drive the development of depression,” she said. 😔
🍭🍬🍦🍩
It’s also worth considering the possibility that the link between highly processed foods and mental health works in both directions. “Diet does influence mood, but the reverse is also true,” said Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “When you get stressed, anxious or depressed, you tend to eat more unhealthy foods, in particular ultra-processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and chemical additives.” 🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭🍬😔😟😢
How to recognize ultra-processed foods? The best way to identify ultra-processed foods is to read product labels. “A long list of ingredients, and especially one that includes ingredients you would never use in home cooking,” are clues that the food is ultra-processed, said Whitney Linsenmeyer, an assistant professor of nutrition at Saint Louis University in Missouri and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Chemical names, unpronounceable words, and anything you would be unlikely to find in a kitchen cabinet are often signs that a food is in the ultra-processed category. 🏷️👀🍔🍟🍕🍦🍭
You can still use convenience foods to make cooking easier without resorting to ultra-processed foods. Products such as canned beans, frozen vegetables, precooked brown rice or canned fish are all shortcut ingredients that fit well within the scope of a healthy diet, provided there aren’t any industrial items on the ingredient list. “If the added ingredients are ones you would use yourself, like herbs, spices, salt or cooking oils,” Dr. Linsenmeyer said, “that’s an indication that the food, while processed, is not inherently bad for you.” 🍅🥦🍚🐟🥘
So guys, we need to be mindful of what we eat if we want to stay healthy, right? Not just for our bodies, but for our brains too. Remember, good food means good health, yes? So next time you’re shopping, try to avoid the “ultra-processed” stuff, and go for more fresh and natural foods. The more we know, the better we can take care of ourselves and our families. 🍏🍎
