Ultra-processed foods linked to brain differences in young children
More than half the calories consumed by young kids in the U.S. come from ultra-processed foods.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Now, a new study warns that those foods, including sugary cereals, packaged snacks, fast food and processed meats, may be linked to measurable differences in brain structure by age 6.
A team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles followed 144 Latino and Hispanic mother-child pairs from infancy through age 6, tracking kids' diets over time and using MRI scans to measure brain structure.
The result: For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake, brain volume was nearly 2% lower in regions involved in reward, emotion and motivation .