Australian study links ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations like chips, soft drinks, and ready meals, and a new Australian study tied higher intake to poorer attention. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) Researchers from Monash University, the University of São Paulo, and Deakin University analyzed 2,192 dementia-free Australian adults aged 40 to 70 in the Healthy Brain Project. The paper was published April 23, 2026 in *Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring*. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) The team used a food-frequency questionnaire to estimate how much of each person’s energy intake came from ultra-processed foods, then compared that with four cognitive tests and dementia-risk scores. Participants got about 41% of daily energy from ultra-processed foods, close to Australia’s 42% average, Monash said. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) Attention is the brain’s filtering system: it helps people hold focus long enough to learn, solve problems, and process what they see. In this study, higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with lower scores on tests of visual attention and processing speed. (monash.edu) (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Dr. Barbara Cardoso of Monash said a 10% increase in ultra-processed foods was roughly like adding a standard packet of chips to a daily diet. That increase was linked to a distinct drop in attention performance on standardized tests, the university said. (monash.edu) The researchers also found that eating more ultra-processed food was associated with higher modifiable dementia-risk scores. Those scores reflect risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity that can be changed or treated. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) One of the study’s key findings was that the associations persisted after accounting for overall diet quality, including adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet. The paper argues that the degree of industrial processing may matter alongside whether a diet looks broadly healthy on paper. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) The study did not find a direct association between ultra-processed foods and memory loss. It was also cross-sectional, which means it captured a snapshot in time and cannot prove that the foods caused the lower attention scores. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu) The result adds to a wider body of research linking ultra-processed foods to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, all of which are established dementia risk factors. This paper pushes that discussion further into midlife cognitive performance, not just long-term disease. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) For now, the study’s clearest message is narrower than the headlines: in this Australian sample, more ultra-processed food tracked with worse focus and higher dementia-risk scores, even among otherwise healthy eaters. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (monash.edu)