HEALTH

Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline. Scientists have known for years that unhealthy diets – particularly those that are high in fat and sugar – may cause detrimental changes to the brain and lead to cognitive impairment. Many factors that contribute to cognitive decline are out of a person’s control, such as genetics and socioeconomic factors. But ongoing research increasingly indicates that a poor diet is a risk factor for memory impairments during normal aging and increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. But when evaluating how some diets may erode brain health as we age, research on the effects of consuming minimally processed versus ultra-processed foods has been scant – that is, until now. Two re...

Hearing voices? You’re not alone. From the little voice telling us we’re no good to the one offering advice, the experience of hearing voices is more common than you might think. It is estimated that 13.2% of the adult general population are subject to it, yet this experience still carries much stigma. Whom can you turn to when you’re no longer alone in your head? For several decades now, the international Hearing Voices Movement (HVM) has been campaigning to improve the way this condition is perceived. Two recent studies conducted at the University of Lorraine in eastern France have assessed how its support groups have impacted the French health care system. Changing textbooks You’re hearing voices and in one fell swoop, the gavel falls: you’re mad. How could it be otherwise? You don’t...