Researchers found that higher ultra-processed food intake in early childhood was associated with reduced volume in brain areas tied to reward, emotion and motivation, even when cognitive test scores appeared normal.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Toddlers who consume more ultra-processed foods may have smaller volumes in several important brain regions by age 6, according to a new study from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by the National Institutes of Health, examined whether early exposure to ultra-processed foods was linked to changes in children’s brain development.
The study followed 144 Latino and Hispanic mother-infant pairs. Researchers measured children’s ultra-processed food intake at 6 months, 12 months, 24 months and 72 months using repeated 24-hour dietary recalls. The children later underwent MRI brain scans at age 6.
Researchers found a consistent association between higher cumulative ultra-processed food intake and smaller volume in several subcortical brain structures. For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption, children had roughly 2% less volume in areas including the accumbens, amygdala, pallidum, putamen and thalamus.
Those regions help regulate reward, emotion and motivation, functions that influence pleasure, mood, drive and behavioral responses.
The findings were notable because children did not show corresponding declines on cognitive tests. Researchers said that means structural brain differences may exist even when standard performance measures appear normal.
“Even without differences in cognitive performance, we’re seeing measurable changes in brain structure,” said Michael Goran, the study’s senior author.
The study was led by first author Jonatan Ottino-González and Goran.
Ultra-processed foods are industrial products typically made from refined ingredients, sweeteners, emulsifiers, preservatives, flavorings and other additives rather than whole foods. They include many packaged snacks, sweetened cereals, processed meats, fast foods, frozen meals and sugary drinks.
Researchers said early childhood may be an especially vulnerable period because the brain is undergoing rapid development and forming critical connections. Diet during that window may influence how brain systems involved in appetite, emotion and reward develop.
Ultra-processed foods now account for more than half of the calories consumed by American children ages 1 to 5, increasing concern among researchers who study nutrition and childhood development.
Earlier studies in adults have linked high ultra-processed food intake to weaker attention, poorer working memory, reduced impulse control, lower brain volume, faster cognitive decline and higher dementia risk. The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles study adds imaging evidence involving young children, a group that has received less attention in brain-based nutrition research.
Separate research from University College Cork has also raised concerns about early-life junk food exposure. In a Nature Communications study involving mice, researchers found that a poor early diet altered the hypothalamus, the part of the brain involved in appetite and energy balance. Those changes persisted into adulthood and increased obesity risk, even after the diet improved.
“What we eat early in life really matters,” said lead author Cristina Cuesta-Martí, noting that diet-related harm may not always be visible through body weight alone.
The University College Cork team also found that gut health may play a role in reversing some diet-related brain changes. In mice, a probiotic strain called Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 helped counter some of the effects, while a prebiotic blend supported beneficial gut bacteria.
Prebiotic compounds are found naturally in foods such as onions, garlic and bananas.
The findings point to a broader concern over the role of highly processed foods in children’s diets. Researchers say the issue is not only calories, sugar or weight gain, but the possibility that industrialized foods may affect brain systems during key developmental periods.
The practical recommendation is to emphasize whole foods whenever possible, including fruits, vegetables, beans, eggs, yogurt, fish, meat, nuts, seeds and minimally processed grains.
Goran’s team said more research is needed to determine exactly how ultra-processed foods may affect the developing brain and which ages or exposure windows matter most.
For now, the study adds evidence that early childhood diet may have effects that are not immediately visible on standard cognitive tests but may still appear in brain structure.
Source: Natural News
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