🍟Junk Food on the brain - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail

🍟 Axios Finish Line: Junk on the brain - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail

1 big thing: Your brain on junk food

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

We know how ultra-processed foods like chips and sugary cereals affect our bodies. New research is digging into how junk food hits our brains. Why it matters: Beyond elevating risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, heavily processed foods can harm mental health, mess with sleep — and even be addictive like alcohol or nicotine. Some scientists are proposing a new mental health condition — "ultra-processed food use disorder," The Wall Street Journal reports.  State of play: People who consistently eat high-fat, high-sugar snacks demonstrate higher activity in the parts of their brains that create dopamine, according to a study published in Cell Metabolism. In just eight weeks, participants' brains started to reward them for indulging in junk food. Their desire for low-fat foods started to disappear. Researchers have discovered other troubling effects: In one study, some participants were given sugary, processed breakfasts to start their day. Others were given a healthier meal. Those who had junk food for breakfast didn't perform as well on learning and memory tests.  Zoom in: One way an imbalanced diet affects our brains is through the gut, The Journal notes. A junk-food forward diet is likely to result in a gut microbiome that is less diverse and has fewer types of bacteria, which work together to boost the immune function and regulate stress. The bottom line: If you haven't banished ultra-processed foods, many of your other health efforts will be for naught. Go deeper: How your gut controls your health.