Ultra-processed food and addiction researcher Ashley Gearhardt noted that binge eating emerged as a recognized clinical problem alongside the growing dominance of highly processed foods in the food supply.

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A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that women in the highest quartile of ultraprocessed food consumption had 78% higher odds of MRI-defined vascular brain injury compared to women in the lowest quartile.

A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open on October 15, 2026, found that middle-aged adults in the highest quartile of ultraprocessed food intake had 40% higher odds of MRI-defined covert brain infarcts or high white matter hyperintensity burden compared to those in the lowest quartile.

A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that higher ultraprocessed food intake was not significantly associated with performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment or the Digit Symbol Substitution Test among middle-aged adults.

A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open found that middle-aged adults in the highest ultraprocessed food quartile had 1.7 percentage points higher total body fat and 5.7 mL greater visceral adipose tissue volume than those in the lowest quartile.

Participants in the highest ultraprocessed food quartile consumed 41.5% of daily food servings from minimally processed whole foods compared with 68.6% among those in the lowest quartile, according to the McMaster University study.

Researchers noted that the lack of association between ultraprocessed food intake and cognitive test scores in the McMaster University study may reflect ceiling effects or high cognitive reserve in the highly educated study cohort.

In a McMaster University study of 8,783 middle-aged adults published in JAMA Network Open, overall MRI-detected silent vascular brain injury was present in 9.2% of participants, including 11.3% in the highest ultraprocessed food consumption quartile versus 8.1% in the lowest.

Exploratory sex-stratified analyses in the McMaster University study showed no statistically significant association between ultraprocessed food intake and vascular brain injury among male participants.

Participants in the McMaster University study derived an average of 42% of their total daily calories from ultraprocessed foods, with median daily consumption ranging from 3.1 servings per 2,000 kcal in the lowest quartile to 12.8 servings in the highest quartile.

The association between high ultraprocessed food consumption and vascular brain injury remained statistically significant after adjusting for total body fat percentage and visceral adipose tissue volume in the McMaster University study.

A McMaster University study published in JAMA Network Open observed that the association between higher ultraprocessed food intake and increased total body fat percentage was statistically significant among participants with a body mass index of 30 or greater, but not among those with a lower body mass index.

Each additional 5 servings of ultraprocessed foods per 2,000 kcal per day was associated with 16% higher odds of vascular brain injury and 21% higher odds of covert brain infarcts in middle-aged adults, according to a McMaster University study.

In continuous analyses from a McMaster University study, each additional 5 servings of ultraprocessed foods per 2,000 kcal per day was associated with a 0.9 percentage-point increase in total body fat percentage and 4.0 mL greater visceral adipose tissue volume.

The proposed FY26 budget restructuring includes a $1 billion funding reduction affecting community mental health centers, suicide prevention, and substance use treatment programs.

The President's FY26 budget proposed dissolving the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration to consolidate them into a new Administration for a Healthy America.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reinstated $2 billion in mental health and substance use grants on January 14, 2026, following bipartisan pushback.

On January 13, 2026, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration terminated hundreds of grants totaling approximately $2 billion for mental health and substance use disorder services.

Heavy alcohol use, drug use, and smoking were associated with looking biologically older in FAHR-FaceAge facial photograph analyses, with current smokers appearing older than former smokers.

A study in BMJ Open associated childhood adversity with 60% of drug use in Wales, 57% in England, 49% of violence in Wales, and 46% in England.

Cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease have increased 143% over the last three decades as calorific food consumption has risen.