Junk food may be giving us brain damage, from ‘silent strokes’ to higher dementia risk - Toronto Star

New studies link ultraprocessed food to cognitive problems, but growing food insecurity means many Torontonians have no other choice.

Ultraprocessed foods have been linked with brain damage in recent studies.

From hot dogs to soft drinks, white bread to sugar cereals, ultraprocessed foods have saturated the modern diet like grease through a paper takeout bag.

We know these foods aren’t particularly nutritious, but a growing body of evidence suggests they may be damaging our brains. Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods with heightened dementia risk, diminished cognitive function and even what’s known as “silent strokes.”

“There are many, many studies now,” said Dr. Sonia Anand, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at McMaster University. In October, she and her team published a paper linking ultraprocessed food consumption with vascular brain injury. “There are huge population implications.”

Today, the average Canadian gets nearly half their daily calories from such foods, whose ingredient lists often include difficult-to-pronounce additives and are high in sugars, fats and sodium but lacking in vitamins, minerals, fibre and other nutrients.

That may not be by choice. Ultraprocessed foods are often cheap, easily accessible and require minimal preparation. For a growing number of Torontonians facing food insecurity, who may be limited in money, time and access to a kitchen, these foods are the only option.

A new report from Daily Bread published Tuesday morning found Toronto food bank visits have soared 333 per cent since 2019, with 4.1 million visits logged from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

“They simply do not have the funds to move away from ultraprocessed foods,” said Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread. “The average food bank user has about $8.33 per day to pay for everything, after they’ve paid for rent.” 

The U of T study found that nearly one in five of the more than 2,000 children they followed over a five-year-long study was overweight by age five.