The 7 processed foods scientists now tie to early cognitive decline, according to new research
Your brain is wired to keep you sharp for decades. Yet researchers are finding that certain processed foods might be aging your mind faster than you realize.
The latest studies from 2023 through 2025 show connections between what’s on your dinner plate and how well your memory performs years down the road. Let’s be real here: we’ve all grabbed convenience foods without thinking twice about long-term consequences.
Science has moved beyond vague warnings about “eating healthy” to pinpoint specific categories of ultra-processed items that appear linked to measurable declines in thinking and memory skills.
Processed Meats
A 2025 Virginia Tech study found a 17 percent increase in cognitive issues among people who consumed at least one serving of ultra-processed meat a day. We’re talking about bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, sausage, and bologna here.
Research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in 2024 revealed that people who eat at least two servings a week of processed red meat have a higher risk of dementia than those who eat less than three servings a month. The same research showed participants with processed red meat intake of roughly a quarter serving per day had a 13% higher risk of dementia and a 14% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline.
What makes this particularly concerning is that it doesn’t take much to reach these risk levels. The increased dementia risk was linked to people who ate just two slices of bacon, one and a half slices of bologna, or a hot dog daily.
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
For each serving of soda consumed, there was a 6 percent increase in cognitive impairment according to the Virginia Tech research published in 2025. Honestly, this one hits differently because so many of us reach for these drinks without thinking.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a higher risk of metabolic dysfunction, stroke, dementia and depression. The category includes regular soda, energy drinks, sweetened coffee beverages, many fruit juices, and sports drinks.
Poor nutritional profiles and harmful additives like emulsifiers and colorants may cause inflammation, which researchers believe plays a role in cognitive decline. Think about it: liquid calories bypass the satiety mechanisms that whole foods trigger, flooding your system with sugar spikes that your brain pays for later.
Packaged Snacks and Chips
These crunchy, salty temptations fall squarely into the ultra-processed category. Salty and sugary snacks are classified as ultra-processed foods that are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fiber.
A 10% increase in the amount of ultra-processed foods eaten was associated with a 16% higher risk of cognitive impairment, according to a major 2024 study published in Neurology. The convenience factor makes these particularly insidious.
You grab a bag thinking it’s no big deal, but research suggests your brain might be keeping score in ways you won’t notice for years. It’s hard to say for sure whether the additives themselves or the displacement of nutrient-dense foods causes more harm, but the association keeps showing up across multiple studies.
Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Alcohols
Here’s where things get tricky for people trying to make “healthier” choices. 6 years, according to a 2025 study in Neurology.
The artificial sweeteners examined included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol. 3 years of aging – than people who consumed the lowest amounts.
Let me be clear: diet soda isn’t the free pass many thought it was. Animal studies suggest that aspartame can trigger inflammation in the brain, while sugar alcohols like erythritol and sorbitol may alter gut microbes and compromise the blood-brain barrier.
Ready-to-Eat Frozen Meals
Those microwave dinners might save time, but they could cost you cognitively. Ready-to-eat frozen meals are examples of ultra-processed foods that include packaged items high in additives and preservatives.
Examples of ultra-processed foods are ready-to-eat frozen meals, which are formulations of processed food substances that contain little or no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives. After eight years, middle-aged people who ate the most junk food had a faster rate of up to 28% cognitive decline compared with those who ate the least.
I know it sounds crazy, but the research keeps pointing in the same direction. The combination of sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical preservatives creates a perfect storm for your brain.
Commercial Baked Goods and Packaged Breads
Packaged breads and breakfast cereals fall into the ultra-processed category that researchers have connected to cognitive issues. Commercial baked goods like cookies, pastries, and pre-packaged muffins contain trans fats, refined sugars, and preservatives.
9% of total daily calories was associated with a faster decline in global cognitive performance and executive function in a cohort study following participants for a median of eight years. What’s particularly sneaky about these foods is how normalized they’ve become.
Grabbing a muffin with your morning coffee feels innocent enough, yet these items are engineered for shelf stability rather than brain health.
Sweetened Breakfast Cereals and Cereal Bars
Starting your day with these might be setting your brain up for trouble down the line. Sweetened breakfast cereals are classified among ultra-processed foods that are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fiber.
A large study found that a 10% increase in the intake of ultra-processed foods raised the risk of cognitive decline by 16%. Cereal bars, despite their health halo, often contain as much sugar as candy bars alongside artificial flavoring and preservatives.
After adjusting for factors, a 10% increase in ultra-processed foods consumed was associated with a 16% heightened risk of developing cognitive impairment. Meanwhile, eating more unprocessed or minimally processed foods was correlated with a 12% lower risk of cognitive issues.
The stark contrast suggests it’s not just about avoiding the bad stuff but actively choosing whole foods that protect your brain. The evidence keeps mounting from multiple studies across different populations.
44 according to a 2023 meta-analysis. What strikes me most about this research is how preventable these risks appear to be – people can decrease their risk of dementia by replacing one serving of processed red meat with one serving of nuts and legumes every day.
So where does this leave you? The science doesn’t suggest you need to become a purist overnight, but being mindful about which processed foods dominate your diet could make a real difference years from now.
Small swaps matter more than you might expect. What steps will you take today to protect your brain for tomorrow?
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