Researchers link ultra‑processed food

Monash University-led researchers reported on April 23 that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with poorer attention in a cross-sectional study of 2,192 dementia-free Australian adults ages 40 to 70. The paper, published in *Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring*, also linked higher intake with higher modifiable dementia-risk scores. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The authors said the association held independent of Mediterranean diet adherence, a measure they used to test whether the result reflected overall diet quality rather than processing alone. The study arrives as nutrition policy and food oversight remain unsettled in Washington. On May 12, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned after 13 months in the job, and President Donald Trump said Kyle Diamantas, the agency’s food chief, was expected to serve as acting commissioner. In February 2025, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, resigned after layoffs that he said hit staff with expertise in nutrition, infant formula and food safety response. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### How large was the attention effect in the new study? The paper said each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was associated with a 0.05-point lower attention score. The same increase was associated with a 0.24-point rise in the CAIDE dementia-risk score, a tool used to estimate modifiable risk. The authors described the work as cross-sectional, meaning it measured diet and cognitive performance at the same time rather than tracking changes after an intervention. That design can identify associations, but it does not establish that ultra-processed foods caused the lower attention scores. (federalnewsnetwork.com) ### Who was studied, and how did researchers measure diet and cognition? The 2,192 participants were dementia-free Australian adults ages 40 to 70, according to the paper. Researchers assessed diet with a validated food-frequency questionnaire and classified foods using the Nova system, which groups foods by degree of processing. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Cognitive performance was measured with the Cogstate Brief Battery, and dementia risk was estimated with the CAIDE tool, the paper said. The study’s headline result centered on attention, while the paper said it found no significant link between ultra-processed food intake and memory. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### Why did the authors compare the findings with Mediterranean diet adherence? The researchers said they wanted to test whether the association reflected ultra-processed foods themselves or simply poorer overall eating patterns. Their analysis found the attention and dementia-risk associations were independent of Mediterranean diet adherence. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The paper said that result supports food processing as a distinct factor in cognitive health. That conclusion was the authors’ interpretation of their data, not evidence from a randomized trial. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### What does this add to the broader public-health debate? The paper adds another data point to a growing body of research connecting ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes. The authors wrote that prior evidence has linked ultra-processed food consumption to more than 30 health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, mental disorders and mortality. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) In Washington, food-policy leadership has been in flux. Jim Jones wrote in his February 17, 2025 resignation letter that layoffs in the FDA’s Human Foods Program had affected employees with technical expertise in nutrition and food safety, and Makary’s May 12 departure left the agency under another interim leadership arrangement. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### Where can readers find the study and what comes next? The article was published on April 23, 2026 in *Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring* under the title “Ultra-processed food intake, cognitive function, and dementia risk: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged and older Australian adults.” The listed corresponding author is Barbara R. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Cardoso. In Washington, the next concrete development is the FDA’s interim leadership transition after May 12, with Trump saying Kyle Diamantas is expected to take over as acting commissioner. (food-safety.com) The study itself remains part of the scientific literature as an observational analysis rather than a clinical trial. (federalnewsnetwork.com) (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)