7 foods that damage the brain: trans fats, sugary drinks, and refined carbohydrates are the top three

As one of the most important organs in the human body, the brain not only controls the functioning of other organs in the human body, stores your thoughts and memories, but also influences your emotions.

So, how can we keep our brain healthy and active and delay brain aging? Of course, we should eat more nutritious and healthy food. However, we should eat less of the following 7 types of food, because they are harmful to your brain.

1. Trans fats

The good news is that not all fats are bad for you. However, trans fats can cause damage to your brain.

Trans fats occur naturally in animal products, such as meat and dairy, but these fats are not as harmful as the industrial trans fats found in various packaged foods.

People who consume industrial trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, through eating margarine, store-bought baked goods, potato chips and cookies, frozen and canned foods, and creamy drinks are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies have shown that high intake of trans fats can also lead to premature cognitive decline, reduced brain volume and memory loss.

2. Sugary drinks

Sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, energy drinks and even juice have little nutritional value.

Regular consumption of sugary drinks can lead to a range of physical damage, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Studies have shown that high intake of fructose (which is found in many sugary drinks) can reduce learning ability, memory, overall brain function, and the rate at which new neurons are formed in the brain. Fructose intake may also increase inflammation in the brain, negatively affecting various brain functions.

3. Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates are products made from processed grains. They may not taste sweet, but they are quickly broken down into sugar in the body.

This is because the refining process removes all the fiber and nutrients from the original grain. A meal high in refined carbs means a high glycemic load that sends your blood sugar soaring.

This can cause the same problems as eating sugar directly, including memory loss, inflammation, and a higher risk of dementia.

Studies show that children who consume high amounts of refined carbohydrates score lower on tests of nonverbal intelligence.

Older adults whose daily intake of refined carbohydrates exceeded 58% of their total calories had twice the risk of mental impairment and dementia compared with those who ate more whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

4. Highly processed and packaged foods

Highly processed and packaged foods remove important nutrients from whole foods and replace them with sugar, fat, and salt.

This is what we call a Western diet that relies on convenience foods and fast food.

People are busy and sometimes can’t make their own sauces, dressings, noodles, and baked goods.

However, whenever you can spare the time, you should try to cook more whole foods yourself, since a Western diet causes fat to accumulate around vital organs, which can damage brain tissue, reduce brain volume, and may damage the blood-brain barrier, the membrane that protects the brain from invading harmful substances.

5. Alcohol

It's probably no surprise that alcohol damages your brain, considering all the stupid things people do when under its influence. A drink now and then may be fine, but heavy drinking can definitely cause permanent brain damage.

Chronic alcohol abuse often causes brain shrinkage and damages the neurotransmitters that the brain uses for communication.

Alcoholics often suffer from vitamin B1 deficiency, which can lead to Korsakoff syndrome, also known as amnesia, which causes severe brain damage, resulting in memory loss, confusion, instability, and intermittent blindness.

6. Fish high in mercury

Fish is basically a healthy food. It is low in saturated fat and contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and magnesium.

However, some fish can contain high levels of mercury, a heavy metal contaminant that is toxic to human nerves. Mercury can be stored in animal tissues (including humans) for a long time.

Longer-lived predatory fish often have the highest levels of mercury in their flesh. This is because they continue to consume other fish containing mercury as long as they live. Over their lifetime, these fish can accumulate up to 1 million times the mercury in the water they live in.

To prevent disruption of the brain's neurotransmitters, it's best to avoid or strictly limit your intake of tuna, swordfish, orange roughy, king mackerel, shark, and tilefish.

7. Aspartame

Unfortunately, replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners is not without its own harmful effects on the brain—particularly aspartame.

Although the manufacturers of this sugar substitute claim that it is safe, multiple studies have pointed out the link between aspartame and various behavioral and cognitive problems. As a chemical stimulant, it can have a harmful effect on learning ability and emotional regulation.

One study found that consuming a diet high in aspartame for just eight days caused participants to score lower on intelligence tests and also made them feel more irritable and depressed.

Another study revealed that people who drank a lot of diet soft drinks (which use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar) had a higher risk of dementia or stroke. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers aspartame to be safe, but it also requires that products containing aspartame must be labeled with a warning.

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