According to a recent study, only 4 weeks eating highly processed food (such as snacks, frozen ready-to-go dishes as pasta and pizza, and variety of meat sausages) causes a strong inflammation in the brain of older rats, leading to memory loss. Interestingly, neuroinflammation and memory problems were not seen in young adult rats that ate the processed products.

The researchers found that processed food activated genes, that were linked to a powerful pro-inflammatory protein and other markers of inflammation in 2 brain regions, hippocampus and amygdala, which are responsible for memory.

The results of the study mean that eating a highly processed diet could accelerate memory decline and might lead to a rapid progress into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The researchers also discovered that supplementing the processed diet with the omega-3 fatty acid DHA prevented memory problems and almost entirely reduced the inflammatory effects in older rats. However, this finding doesn’t mean that you can enjoy your processed foods combined with DHA supplements without any other health consequences (f.e. think about weight gain and diabetes type II).

Just take a critical look on your diet and try to substitute your processed favorites with a healthy alternative, paying a close attention to the quality of your macro’s: fat with high amounts of unsaturated fat; complex unrefined carbs with lots of fiber; and a lean protein.

Curious? HERE is the source