Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods in Early Childhood Linked to Brain Development

TUESDAY, July 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Greater consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) in early childhood is associated with brain development by age 6 years, according to a study published online June 2 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Jonatan Ottino-González, Ph.D., from Children”s Hospital Los Angeles, and colleagues examined whether cumulative UPF intake from infancy through early childhood is associated with cognitive performance at 24 (144 children) and 72 months (93 children) and with subcortical brain volumes at 72 months. 

The researchers found that cumulative UPF intake was not associated with cognitive performance at either 24 or 72 months. However, there was an inverse association between cumulative UPF intake from 6 to 72 months and the volumes of the bilateral accumbens, left amygdala, bilateral pallidum, left putamen, and bilateral thalamus. A 10 percent higher proportion of cumulative UPF intake, on average, was associated with a 1.92 percent lower subcortical volume. These associations persisted across exposure windows (6 to 24 months versus 72 months) and UPF subtypes (e.g., snacks, fast food).

“Our findings suggest that what children eat early in life may shape brain development in ways we’re just beginning to understand,” senior author Michael I. Goran, Ph.D., also from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said in a statement. “Even without differences in cognitive performance, we’re seeing measurable changes in brain structure.”

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