教甄◆英文科題庫下載題庫

 Passage A

        A diet high in ultra-processed foods could hurt your brain for similar reasons that these diets are linked to a slew of other chronic diseases. They are often high in calories, for example, there's nearly a day's worth in the 1,603-calorie Burger King Texas Double Whopper. High-calorie diets can lead to obesity, which is linked to depression. One reason why might be that fat cells become dysfunctional and release inflammatory molecules, which are triggers for depression, anxiety, and dementia.

      Processed foods can be healthy, it's the ultra-processed items that are linked to poor health. Ultra-processed foods include items such as soda, candy, cookies, cake, energy bars and frozen meals. They are often high in fat, sugar and/or sodium and typically enhanced with flavorings, dyes, artificial sweeteners and/or other additives. Ultra-processed foods use ingredients not found in a home kitchen.         As ultra-processed foods are typically hyperpalatable, about 14 to 20 percent of adults and 12 to 15 percent of children and adolescents are food addicted, based on research using the Yale Food Addiction Scale which Gearhardt helped develop. “Those are similar rates of addiction of alcohol and cigarettes,” she says.

     By consuming ultra-processed food people neglect the “good stuff like fruits, vegetables and simply-prepared whole grains. “That means you're shortchanged on nutrients that are good for the brain, including phytonutrients—beneficial substances in plants,” Lane wrote. For example, there are about 8,000 varieties of polyphenols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties； early studies indicate that diets low in these compounds are linked to depression.