BRAIN HEALTH AND FRIED FOODS
Fried foods pose a significant risk to brain health by promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and damaging blood vessels, which can impair memory, focus, and increase the risk of depression and anxiety, largely due to compounds like acrylamide formed during frying and unhealthy fats. Chronic intake is linked to worse cognitive function, higher risks of anxiety and depression, and potential disruptions in brain metabolism and the blood-brain barrier.
Negative impacts on the brain
Inflammation & Oxidative Stress: Unhealthy fats and acrylamide in fried foods trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, damaging brain cells and blood vessels supplying the brain.
Cognitive Decline: Diets high in fried foods are associated with lower scores on memory and learning tests and faster cognitive decline, notes a Harvard Medical School study.
Mental Health Risks: Frequent consumption is linked to increased risks of anxiety and depression, partly due to acrylamide disrupting brain metabolism and the blood-brain barrier, say Healthline and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Neurodegeneration: Long-term deep-fried oil consumption may increase neurodegeneration, and reusing oils creates harmful compounds, say the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Blood-Brain Barrier: Acrylamide can compromise the barrier that protects the brain.
Mechanisms of Harm
Neuroinflammation: Fried foods can induce neuroinflammation, potentially reducing dopamine and blunting brain reward systems.
Lipid Metabolism: Acrylamide disrupts the brain’s lipid (fat) metabolism, affecting essential fatty acids and brain function.
Research On Connections
“Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate in the brain, leading to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease: Source: National Institutes Of Health
BIOLOGICAL AGING AND FRIED FOODS
Deep fried foods are highly inflammatory. They produce advanced glycation end products, more commonly known as AGEs, compounds which directly stimulate inflammation in the body. Fried foods are cooked in vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and canola (rapeseed), oils that are highly processed and include additives, pesticides, and chemicals. The amount of salt, saturated fats and calories increases drastically in fried food, which leads to weight gain and an increase in pressure on the joints.
Research On Connections
“Deep fried foods are highly inflammatory. They produce advanced glycation end products, more commonly known as AGEs, compounds which directly stimulate inflammation in the body” Source: PainScale
“If more than 20% of your daily calorie intake is ultraprocessed foods, you may be raising your risk for cognitive decline, a new study found. There was an interesting twist, however. If the quality of the overall diet was high — meaning the person also ate a lot of unprocessed, whole fruits and veggies, whole grains and healthy sources of protein — the association between ultraprocessed foods and cognitive decline disappeared” Source: CNN
RECOMMENDED HEALTHY AGING PROTOCOL
“I Eat Fried Foods”: Answer = Never