There was no shortage of studies linking a high intake of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of health problems this year. A shopper reaches for groceries at a grocery store in Toronto on May 30.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
As always, it was a good-news, bad-news year with respect to diet-related headlines.
Evidence continued to accumulate for the brain benefits of a healthy diet. It was also a year when research linked ultra-processed foods to dozens of harmful health effects. Food safety was prominent in the news, too, with recurring recall warnings.
Here’s a look at a few nutrition stories that caught my attention in 2024, along with takeaways for 2025.
Evidence mounts for healthy diet-healthy brain link
In April, research published in the Nature journal found a powerful link between dietary choices and brain health among 181,990 adults living in Britain.
People who ate a healthy balanced diet had enhanced mental health, superior cognitive function and higher amounts of grey matter in the brain, associated with attention and memory, than did those ate a less varied diet.
A study published in August found that eating an anti-inflammatory diet – one that combines a variety of whole, largely plant-based, foods – was associated with a 21 per cent lower risk of developing dementia compared with a pro-inflammatory diet.
What’s more, the research, involving 1,559 older adults who were followed for 15 years, revealed that an anti-inflammatory diet also offered significant protection against dementia among people already at increased risk owing to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and/or stroke.
Brain MRI scans showed that participants who ate an anti-inflammatory diet had less degeneration of brain cells and damage to blood vessels in the brain.
Findings from a large study published in September found that eating a diet plentiful in flavonoids was tied to a lower risk of developing dementia in adults, aged 40 to 70, who were followed for nearly 10 years. This was true even for people with dementia risk factors such as genetics, hypertension and depression.
Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and may improve blood flow to the brain.
In 2025, you should gradually add more nutrient-dense whole foods to your daily diet such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
Consider flavonoids, too. Berries, red grapes, cherries, citrus fruit, bell peppers, celery, kale, arugula, soybeans and tea (green and black) are good sources.
Listeria-related food recalls a recurring theme
In early July, after Health Canada confirmed the link between certain plant-based refrigerated beverages and listeria monocytogenes food-borne illness cases, it issued a recall for various Silk and Great Value products. Among those who became sick, 15 people were hospitalized and, tragically, three died.
The contaminated beverages were traced to a Danone Canada third-party manufacturing plant in Pickering, Ont. The facility did not properly follow Health Canada’s policy on preventing listeria contamination in ready-to-eat foods.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now reviewing its system for determining how often food-producing facilities are inspected. (The Pickering facility went uninspected for five years prior to the deadly outbreak.)
This fall, brands of frozen waffles and pancakes, as well as O’Ya hoho Enoki mushrooms, were also recalled owing to listeria concerns.
For the past several months, listeria has also been linked to food-borne illness outbreaks and large-scale food recalls in the U.S.
In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently announced steps to strengthen its food safety net, effective January, 2025, including enhanced listeria testing and updated inspector training.
In the meantime, you should continue to practice safe food handling and proper cooking at home. To stay informed about the Canadian government’s food recalls, sign up for notifications on social media or by e-mail.
Ultra-processed foods tied to 32 poor health outcomes
There was no shortage of studies linking a high intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – including processed meats, soft drinks, frozen meals and snack foods – to an increased risk of health problems this year.
In February, researchers from the U.S. and France concluded that UPFs may be “harmful to most – perhaps all – body systems.”
The review of 45 meta-analyses involving nearly 10 million people found direct associations between ultra-processed food consumption and 32 adverse health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, colorectal cancer, fatty liver disease, anxiety and depression.
In May, U.S.-based research tied a higher intake of UPFs to a greater risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. And a Harvard study found a high intake of UPFs – especially processed meats, sugary breakfast foods and sugar- or artificially-sweetened beverages – was associated with an increased risk of early death.
It’s impossible to completely avoid UPFs. The goal, instead, is to limit their consumption.
Read ingredient lists: Foods with long ones that include additives not found in home kitchens are ultra-processed.
Where possible, make homemade versions of highly processed staples you rely on such a pasta sauce, salad dressings and soups.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieBeckRD
