Ultra-processed food - Chris van Tulleken explains how diet impacts your brain

Chances are you’ve eaten something ultra-processed already today, but should you be worried? 

Many of us have a sense that ultra-processed food could be harming our bodies, but what impact does it have on our brains? In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist health Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange ask whether the food we eat is damaging our mental health, increasing our risk of dementia or even making us age prematurely.

With help from doctor, broadcaster and researcher Chris van Tulleken they explore how ultra-processed food really impacts the brain and whether we should be making changes to our own diets. 

Produced by Emily Bird 

Get in touch at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Find out more about Ultra-processed foods at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2519704-how-worried-should-you-be-about-ultra-processed-foods/

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2499135-why-not-all-ultra-processed-foods-are-bad-for-you/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2438428-is-ultra-processed-food-unhealthy-heres-why-no-one-can-agree/ 

Calories from UPF: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/oct/toddlers-get-nearly-half-their-calories-ultra-processed-foods

https://www.ukri.org/news/families-left-in-dark-on-upfs-risks-to-children-ukri-dialogue/ 

Daniel Lieberman interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puRaNQpwW6U