Ultraprocessed Foods and the Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Older US Adults: 2013-2020 Health and Retirement Study
Lee H, McEvoy CT, Steele EM, Khandpur N, Heeringa SG, Ryan LH, Langa KM, Wolfson JA, Leung CW
American journal of public health · 0 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Cohort study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Clinical events such as disease or death
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- NIA NIH HHS
Based on 1 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2026-07-01 · Am J Public Health · vol. 116 · issue 7 · pp. 981–992
- Publisher
- National Institutes of Health
- Cited
- 0 citations · more than 48% of similar papers · 0.0× the field average
- References
- 0 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease · Food composition and properties
- Keywords
- Dementia, Cognitive impairment, Cognition, Disease, Cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, Epidemiology
- MeSH
- humans, dementia, risk factors, longitudinal studies, aged, middle aged, united states, female, male, cognitive dysfunction, food, processed
9 authors
From US
- Heejin LeeAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
- Claire T. McEvoyAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
- Euridice Martinez SteeleAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
- Neha KhandpurAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
- Steven G. HeeringaAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
- Lindsay H. RyanAmerican Public Health Association; Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Objectives. To examine associations between ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption and risks of dementia, cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND), and a composite outcome of CIND or dementia in a nationally representative longitudinal study of older US adults. Methods. Participants were from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 2013-2020; n = 5370). We assessed UPF intake via a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire from the 2013 HRS Health Care and Nutrition Study. We defined cognitive impairment outcomes based on the validated Langa-Weir classification from biennial cognitive assessments (2014-2020). We used weighted Cox regression to examine associations. Results. Compared with quintile 1, quintile 5 of UPF intake was associated with higher risks of dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.003, 2.48; P for trend = .50), CIND (HR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.88; P for trend = .03), and CIND or dementia (HR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.16, 1.87; P for trend = .02). Unprocessed or minimally processed food consumption was associated with lower risks of these outcomes. Conclusions. Increased UPF consumption is associated with higher risks of dementia, CIND, and CIND or dementia among US older adults. Public Health Implications. Our findings suggest a potential need to reduce UPF consumption for maintaining cognitive health among older adults. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(7):981-992. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308505).
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.