Ultra-processed foods linked to poorer attention, dementia risk

Monash University researchers reported in April that adults who ate more ultra-processed foods scored worse on attention tests and had higher scores on a tool that estimates modifiable dementia risk. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, analyzed 2,192 dementia-free Australian adults ages 40 to 70. (monash.edu) The authors said the association held even after accounting for adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, suggesting the degree of processing mattered separately from overall diet quality. Because the study was cross-sectional, it shows an association rather than proving that ultra-processed foods caused the differences. ### What exactly did the researchers study? The paper examined 2,192 Australian adults ages 40 to 70 who did not have dementia and were enrolled in the Healthy Brain Project, according to the study abstract. (alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com) Diet was measured with a validated food-frequency questionnaire, and foods were classified under the Nova system, which groups industrial formulations such as soft drinks, packaged snacks and ready-made meals as ultra-processed foods. Cognitive function was measured with the Cogstate Brief Battery, and dementia risk was estimated with the CAIDE tool. ### What did they find about attention and dementia risk? The study found that each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was associated with lower attention scores and a 0.24-point increase in dementia-risk score, independent of Mediterranean diet adherence. (monash.edu) Lead author Barbara Cardoso said that a 10% increase was roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to a daily diet. She said the change translated into lower scores on standardized tests of visual attention and processing speed. ### Did a generally healthy diet offset the association? The authors reported that the link persisted after accounting for overall diet quality, including adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Cardoso said the findings pointed to “mechanisms linked to the degree of food processing itself,” rather than only the absence of healthier foods. (monash.edu) Monash University said participants got about 41% of their daily energy from ultra-processed foods, close to the Australian average of 42%. ### What counts as an ultra-processed food here? Monash University said ultra-processed foods in this category included products such as soft drinks, packaged salty snacks and ready-made meals. The classification comes from the Nova system, which the study used to sort foods by level of processing rather than by nutrients alone. (monash.edu) Cardoso said ultra-processing can alter the natural structure of food and introduce additives or processing chemicals that may help explain the observed association. ### Did the study show memory loss or dementia diagnoses? The researchers did not report a direct association between ultra-processed food intake and memory loss in this analysis, according to Monash University’s summary. Instead, the clearest cognitive signal was attention, which the authors measured with standardized testing. (monash.edu) The dementia finding was also not a count of diagnosed dementia cases; it was a higher score on a risk index built from modifiable factors linked to later dementia risk. ### What should readers watch for next? The article was received on November 17, 2025, revised on March 13, 2026, and accepted on March 21, 2026, according to the journal record. The next step for this line of research is likely longitudinal or interventional work that can test whether reducing ultra-processed food intake changes attention scores or dementia-risk markers over time. (monash.edu) The full study, including methods and author list, is available in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. (alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)