Junk Food Diet in Teens Can Lead to Poor Memory
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola May 28, 2024
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California found that
consuming junk food during adolescence can lead to long-term memory impairment in
adulthood
The neurotransmitter acetylcholine plays a role, as it is crucial to memory, as well as
other brain functions like attention and learning
Consuming junk food can also increase your child’s risk of depression, obesity, and
inflammatory conditions like eczema, rhinitis and severe asthma
Adults should set an example for children and encourage them to shift to healthier food
choices, but this can be difficult, since junk food has been designed to be addictive
Many parents are aware of the negative effects of alcohol and drugs on their children’s
brains and take the necessary steps to protect them from these dangerous substances.
However, there’s another stealth element that could be putting them at high risk of future
memory issues — and it’s likely in your kitchen pantry right now.
A study1 conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California found that
consuming a junk food diet during adolescence can lead to long-term memory
impairment in adulthood. Even more alarming is that the effects could be irreversible.
Animal Study Shows Junk Food Can Lead to Poor Memory
The featured animal study,2 published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity,
sought to determine the effects of feeding a junk food diet on adolescents’ brains. While
conducting the study, the researchers considered previous findings that a poor diet can
lead to Alzheimer's disease.3
They found that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine plays a role, as it is crucial to
memory, as well as other brain functions like attention and learning. People who have
been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease tend to have lower levels of this
neurotransmitter in their brain.4
The researchers then wondered if adolescents who consumed the same type of
processed food diet — loaded with unhealthy fats and refined sugar — could also
experience similar effects, especially as their brains are still going through significant
development.
To test their hypothesis, they fed one group of rats a "junk food cafeteria-style diet"
consisting of potato chips, chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, and soda, and gave a
control group a standard diet.5 They then observed the animals’ acetylcholine levels and
analyzed their brain responses by having them undergo tasks to test their memory.
One test involved allowing the subjects to explore new objects in different scenarios.
After a few minutes, they repeated the test but added a new object to the scene. The
researchers observed that the rats who ate the junk food diet were unable to recall
which objects they had seen before, as well as their location. The control group,
however, was more familiar with their surroundings.
In a StudyFinds article, Anna Hayes, a postdoctoral research fellow who is a member of
the research team, explained:6
"Acetylcholine signaling is a mechanism to help them encode and remember
those events, analogous to ‘episodic memory’ in humans that allows us to
remember events from our past. That signal appears to not be happening in the
animals that grew up eating the fatty, sugary diet."
A Junk Food Diet ‘Rewires’ Your Brain and Makes You ‘Stupid’
This isn’t the first study that showed the negative effects of a junk food diet on your
brain. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Psychology7 found that just six weeks of
bingeing on sweets and sweetened beverages could slow brain function, memory and
learning — to put it simply, it makes you "stupid."8
In a UCLA article,9 Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David
Geffen School of Medicine and one of the study authors, said, "Our findings illustrate
that what you eat affects how you think. Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term
alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information."
A 2023 study published in Cell Metabolism also revealed that junk foods like chips can
cause the brain to "rewire" itself, and subconsciously learn to opt for foods that are
loaded with fat and sugar.10
Considering that adolescence is a very sensitive time for a child’s developing brain,
these findings should be a cause for concern. Scott Kanoski, a professor of biological
sciences at the University of Southern California (USC) Dornsife College of Letters, Arts,
and Sciences and co-author of the feature study, comments:11
"What we see not just in this paper, but in some of our other recent work, is that
if these rats grew up on this junk food diet, then they have these memory
impairments that don’t go away.
I don’t know how to say this without sounding like Cassandra and doom and
gloom, but unfortunately, some things that may be more easily reversible during
adulthood are less reversible when they are occurring during childhood."
Teens Who Frequently Eat Junk Food Are at a High Risk of
Depression
In the U.S., an estimated 5 million teens aged 12 to 17 — or 20% of the overall age group
— have experienced at least one episode of depression,12 with symptoms of a loss of
interest in daily activities and struggling with sleep, energy and appetite. Depression
among teens has increased by 30% in the last 10 years, and while many aspects are
being considered, one potential factor could be eating a junk food or fast food diet.13
According to a study14 from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham,
two dietary elements could be contributing to depression in adolescents: having high
levels of sodium and low levels of potassium.
High sodium levels are associated with salty snacks and fast food items like fries and
burgers, while having low potassium levels means there aren’t enough potassium-rich
foods in the diet, including fruits and vegetables. These can influence neurotransmitters
and neural function.
"Given the substantial brain development that occurs during adolescence,
individuals in this developmental period may be particularly vulnerable to the
effects of diet on the neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation and
depression," the researchers said.15
Junk Food Manufacturers Use Persuasive Marketing Tactics to
Hook Your Kids
Healthy eating habits begin at home, and as adults, we must set an example for children
and encourage them to shift to healthier food choices. However, this can be difficult,
since junk food has been designed to be addictive.
Manufacturers use carefully orchestrated flavors, textures and aromas to make them as
appealing as possible — a stark contrast to whole foods whose taste and consistency
are made by nature and designed to satiate hunger and address your nutritional
cravings.
What’s more, junk food is aggressively marketed to children, with manufacturers using
various persuasive techniques to pique your child’s interest. When researchers
conducted a systematic review of eight online databases, they found the most reported
marketing techniques used to promote these foods to children on television. These
included:16
Premium offers
Promotional characters
Nutrition and health-related claims
The theme of taste
The emotional appeal of fun
A review of studies17 published by the Australian website Obesity Evidence Hub further
illustrates the pervasive nature of junk food marketing. According to the studies they
referenced:
Young children watch at least 11 junk food ads for every 2.5 hours of TV per day18
Adolescents encounter 99.5 junk food promotions from online platforms weekly19
Majority of food and drink ads found near schools and school routes are of
unhealthy products20
There’s a higher proportion of junk food ads in lower socioeconomic areas21
Unfortunately, these manipulative marketing tactics are effective. A 2016 study
published in the Obesity Reviews journal found that intake of junk foods increases after
exposure to junk food ads. According to the researchers:22
"The evidence indicates that unhealthy food and beverage marketing increases
dietary intake (moderate quality evidence) and preference (moderate to low
quality evidence) for energy-dense, low-nutrition food and beverage. Unhealthy
food and beverage marketing increased dietary intake and influenced dietary
preference in children during or shortly after exposure to advertisements."
More Health Risks Associated With a Junk Food Diet
At any age, consuming a junk food diet can put your health at risk, but as the studies
mentioned above demonstrate, children are particularly vulnerable due to their
developing brain and body.
Childhood obesity is one of the most common effects of a junk food diet. From 2017 to
2020, 19.7% of children and teens 2- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. were considered obese
— that’s approximately 14.7 million U.S. adolescents and children.23 This is alarming, as
childhood obesity can increase the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.24
Another study also found that eating fast food three or more times per week can
increase your child’s risk of inflammatory conditions like eczema, rhinitis and severe
asthma.25 Consuming junk food has also been associated with poor performance at
school — children who eat more fast food progress slower academically, with lower test
score gains in children who ate the most fast food compared to those who ate none.26
Ultraprocessed ‘Lunchables’ Are Now Being Served in School
Cafeterias
Speaking of schools — did you know that U.S. school canteens are now serving Kraft’s
Lunchables? Two versions of these ultraprocessed "meals" — Turkey and Cheddar and
Extra Cheesy Pizza — were introduced to schools at the beginning of the 2023-2024
school year.27 Students can either purchase them or get them via the National School
Lunch Program (NSLP).28
With nearly 30 million children in public and private schools and childcare institutions
getting their lunch from NSLP29 daily, this rollout can spell disaster for children’s health.
Ultraprocessed foods are among the worst things you can eat, and children in particular
may have their future health sabotaged by consuming them. According to a Washington
Post article:30
"Kraft Heinz said the company spent nearly two years reformulating its store-
bought Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stacker Lunchables to meet USDA Food
and Nutrition Service standards — lowering the amount of saturated fat,
increasing the protein, and adding whole grains to its crackers.
But the school version contains roughly 25 percent more sodium than the store
version, according to Kraft Heinz’s nutritional data.
‘It is too easy for food manufacturers to reformulate sugar, salt and fat to meet
standards for those nutrients and still produce a junk food,’ said Marion Nestle,
a retired professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York
University."
In April 2024, the advocacy group Consumer Reports rolled out a petition urging the
USDA to remove Lunchables from the NSLP. According to an NPR article,31 this action
came after they conducted an independent analysis of ultraprocessed meal kits and
found high amounts of sodium and elevated levels of heavy metals such as lead,
cadmium and phthalates.
"Even in small amounts, lead and cadmium can cause developmental problems
in children, with risks increasing from regular exposure over time. And eating
too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure: about 14 percent of children
and teens have prehypertension or hypertension.
Please take the necessary steps to ensure these processed food kits aren’t
eligible for the lunch program, and offer our children healthier choices," their
petition reads.32
Talk to Your Teens About the Dangers of Junk Food
As I mentioned, good eating habits start at home. Encouraging an open discussion
about healthy food choices is a key factor in preventing your children from being
manipulated by sly food manufacturers whose primary goal is to make money — they
couldn’t care less about the health of your family.
If you have younger children, try to get them involved in meal planning, shopping for
healthy foods and cooking. You can even plant a vegetable garden together. Ultimately,
when kids are young, you're the best role model for a healthy diet, so choose to eat real
foods, and your kids will follow suit.
Older children and teenagers may be more of a challenge. However, telling them that
they are being manipulated is often effective. No one likes to be deceived, even in
adolescence. Enlightening them about the profit-driven motives behind junk food ads
may be enough to help trigger a newfound desire for healthier eating.
Research conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business found that
when eighth graders were given materials that explained the manipulative practices and
deceptive product labels used by food manufacturing companies, they ended up eating
less junk food and choosing water instead of soda. They also ended up choosing
healthier foods for the remainder of that school year.
"These findings suggest that reframing unhealthy dietary choices as
incompatible with important values could be a low-cost, scalable solution to
producing lasting, internalized change in adolescents' dietary attitudes and
choices," the researchers explained.33
Sources and References
1, 2 Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 118, May 2024, Pages 408-422
3, 4, 6, 11 Study Finds, April 16, 2024
5 Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 118, May 2024, Pages 408-422, Dietary model
7 J Physiol. 2012 May 15; 590(Pt 10): 2485–2499, Influence of dietary n-3 fatty acid manipulation and
fructose on cognitive functions
8, 9 UCLA Health, May 15, 2012
10 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, March 22, 2023, Our brain unconsciously learns to prefer high-fat snacks
12 National Institutes of Health, Major Depression
13 Physiological Reports August 23, 2019, Introduction
14, 15 Physiological Reports August 23, 2019, Discussion
16 Obes Rev. 2014 Apr;15(4):281-93
17 Obesity Evidence Hub, August 19, 2022
18 Health Promotion International, Volume 20, Issue 2, June 2005, Pages 105–112
19 J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jul 12;23(7):e28144. doi: 10.2196/28144
20, 21 Health Promot J Austr. 2022 Jul;33(3):642-648
22 Obes Rev. 2016 Oct;17(10):945-59
23 CDC, Childhood Obesity Facts
24 Cureus, November 13, 2020
25 BMJ Journals Volume 68, Issue 4
26 Clinical Pediatrics, Volume 54, Issue 9, December 5, 2014
27 ABC News, March 15, 2023
28, 29 CNN Business March 13, 2023
30 The Washington Post, October 17, 2023
31 NPR, April 10, 2024
32 Consumer Reports Petition, High amounts of lead, sodium in Lunchables
33 Nature Human Behaviour, 3, pages 596–603 (2019), April 15, 2019
