Dissecting ultra-processed foods and drinks: Do they have a potential to impact the brain?
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
This review provides a comprehensive review of the current evidence that ultra-processed foods (UPF) affect brain development and function, as well as physical health.
It includes discussion of various potential mechanisms by which characteristic features of these foods (such as their sugar content, unhealthy fat profile, artificial additives and lack of dietary fibre) may adversely affect mood, behaviour and cognition, as well as the evidence from human studies llnking UPF consumption with behaviour and mental health, particularly eating disorders and addictive behaviours.
Controlled human clinical trial evidence still remains limited, but a recent
rigorously conducted trial found significant effects on appetite and weight gain in healthy young adults after just 2 weeks on an ultra-processed food diet.
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