GOOD DIET FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

Expert's 5 worst nutrition offenders for brain – and what to eat instead

- MARK McCADDEN

NEUROSCIENTISTS have been studying how our diet can affect not just our waistlines, but our brains - and they have come back with some shocking results.

One expert has revealed five foods that can destroy brain health by damaging brain cells, increasing inflammation, and can significantly impact cognitive abilities in decades to come.

While we spend our hard-earned money on brain training apps and supplements, we might be undoing all that good work by accelerating our cognitive aging with what's on our plate.

Dietary choices, particularly in our 30s and 40s, can have a hugely negative impact on our brain health.

Dr Ramon Velazquez, Neuroscience Consultant and Research Advisor at Mind Lab Pro, said certain foods can actively damage the brain's structure and function.

And the danger is that these foods poten-tially set the stage for memory problems and cognitive decline years before symptoms appear.

Here are the worst offenders in our diet that could be silently damaging our brains, and what we should eat instead.

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS

Those convenient packaged snacks and ready meals aren't just expanding your waistline-they're shrinking your brain.

UPF contain a cocktail of additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients that promote inflammation throughout the body, including the brain.

Dr. Velazquez said: "Studies have found that people who consume the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods have a 28% faster rate of global cognitive decline.

"These foods trigger inflammatory responses that damage the delicate connections between brain cells."