View source for Joe Biden's frequent ice cream and junk food consumption, ultra-processed food and cognitive decline

[[File:Joe Biden talking to a little girl while holding an ice cream cone.jpg|thumbnail|201px|right|[[Joe Biden]] is well-known for eating ice cream frequently. For example, ''The Daily Beast'' published an article entitled ''Ice Cream-Loving Joe Biden Forced to Get an Unscheduled Root Canal''.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-cream-loving-joe-biden-gets-a-root-canal Ice Cream-Loving Joe Biden Forced to Get an Unscheduled Root Canal], The Daily Beast, 2023</ref>]]
[[Joe Biden]] is experiencing significant cognitive decline (See: [[Joe Biden's cognitive decline]]). 

Biden apparently suffers from a form of dementia<ref>[https://redstate.com/bonchie/2020/10/12/watch-joe-bidens-probable-dementia-was-on-full-display-today-n262206 Watch: Joe Biden's Probable Dementia Was on Full Display Today]</ref> with symptoms like forgetting how many grandchildren he has,<ref>[https://redstate.com/bonchie/2020/08/17/joe-biden-forgets-how-many-grand-children-he-has-again-n251481 Joe Biden Forgets How Many Grandchildren He Has...Again]</ref> thinking that he is running for the [[United States Senate|Senate]], not the US presidency,<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-repeats-gaffe-that-hes-running-for-the-senate-appears-to-not-remember-mitt-romneys-name Biden repeats gaffe that he's running 'for the Senate,' appears to not remember Mitt Romney's name]</ref> forgetting that he is running against President Trump, not George Bush,<ref>[https://www.toddstarnes.com/politics/biden-appears-to-forget-trumps-name-tells-reporter-hes-running-against-a-guy-named-george/ Biden Appears to Forget Trump’s Name, Tells Reporter He’s Running Against a Guy Named “George”]</ref> getting his wife confused with his sister,<ref>[https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/joe-biden-mistakes-his-wife-his-sister Joe Biden Mistakes His Wife for His Sister]</ref> forgetting where he is,<ref>[https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-goes-blank-stare-forgetting-tries-fails-pass-off-joke/ Biden Goes Into Blank Stare After Forgetting Where He Is, Tries and Fails To Pass It Off as Joke]</ref> and loss of bowel control.<ref>https://youtu.be/4dQtSWOO4MA</ref>  Critics of Biden have derided what they describe as clownish and buffoonish behavior by him in the public eye over the years<ref>[https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/04/biden_the_buffoon.html Biden, the buffoon] at the American Thinker</ref> and have attributed that behavior, which likely predates his selection by Barack Obama to be his running mate, to his advancing senility and dementia.<ref name="Biden Dementia">[https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2020/10/03/is-joe-bidens-sometimes-bizarre-behavior-a-sign-of-dementia/ Is Joe Biden’s Sometimes Bizarre Behavior a Sign of Dementia?]</ref>  Despite all of these symptoms, many Democrats deny Biden's erratic behavior and are content with someone mentally unfit to be President of the United States,<ref>[https://thedailycoin.org/2020/08/09/democrats-endgame-is-beyond-strange-with-dementia-biden-in-severe-mental-decline-the-plan-is-to-get-him-elected-but-never-let-him-assume-the-duties-of-president/ Democrat’s Endgame Is Beyond Strange: With Dementia-Biden In Severe Mental Decline, The Plan Is To Get Him Elected But Never Let Him Assume The Duties Of President]</ref> while more aggressive apologists make excuses and attack critics by accusing them of "ageism" and "ignorance".<ref name="Biden Dementia"/>  He has been referred to as "the American [[Brezhnev]]."<ref>https://www.hudson.org/research/15793-is-joe-biden-the-american-brezhnev</ref>

According to [[Politico]]:
{{Cquote|The [[New York Times]], the [[Washington Post]], Politico, [[CNN]], the Atlantic, the [[Associated Press]], Slate and just about every other.. outlet you can name has crossed the ageism line to ask the “too old” question in recent articles about Joe Biden, age 76, often in the headline itself. 

...after tallying Biden’s repeated stumbles, miscues and mental lapses, journalists tend to retreat from calling Biden too infirm to run the White House. The greater press taboo, it seems, isn’t asking the question about Biden but answering it.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/08/02/joe-biden-age-media-227499 Is Joe Biden Too Old?]</ref>}}

Matthew Walther, a national correspondent for ''The Week'', wrote about Biden's age:
{{Cquote|These days, Biden is confused about everything and everyone virtually all the time... He routinely says things that are absolute gibberish... These are not ordinary slips of the tongue. They are signs of cognitive decline that will be familiar to anyone who, like me, spends a good deal of time in the company of people who are roughly Biden's age."<ref>[https://theweek.com/articles/858498/what-take-democratic-establishment-abandon-biden What will it take for the Democratic establishment to abandon Biden?] by Matthew Walther, The Week</ref>}}

The columnist Michael Goodwin wrote about Biden's performance during the [[Democrat]]s’ third presidential primary debate: "Nearly all his efforts to make a point were swamped by a sudden change of direction mid-sentence, and then another change a few words later as a random thought popped into his head and out his mouth. None of his rivals needed to interrupt him — he did it to himself."<ref>[https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/goodwin-trump-the-real-winner-as-biden-again-proves-hes-not-cut-out-to-be-nominee/ Goodwin: Trump the real winner as Biden again proves he’s not cut out to be nominee ], ''New York Post''</ref>

After Biden's poor performance in Iowa, a Democratic county chair told ''The New York Times'', "He’s pressing against Father Time, who is a very tough competitor."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/us/politics/biden-iowa-2020.html Can Anyone Catch Joe Biden?] by Lisa Lerer, Sydney Ember and Reid J. Epstein, ''The New York Times''</ref>
== Joe Biden's frequent ice cream and junk food consumption, ultra-processed food and cognitive decline ==

''See also:'' [[Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks#Consumption of processed foods and health risks|Consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain impairment]] and [[Cognitive decline and diet]]

[[Joe Biden]] is well-known for eating ice cream frequently. For example, ''The Daily Beast'' published an article entitled ''Ice Cream-Loving Joe Biden Forced to Get an Unscheduled Root Canal''.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-cream-loving-joe-biden-gets-a-root-canal Ice Cream-Loving Joe Biden Forced to Get an Unscheduled Root Canal], The Daily Beast, 2023</ref>

''The Daily Mail'' noted in 2023:
{{Cquote|There's a food fight taking place at the White House, according to a new report on Monday, that's pitting Joe Biden's love of junk food against [[Jill Biden]]'s quest to get him to eat more healthy.

The president is a known lover of ice cream, enjoying the sweet treat every chance he can get. He's also been known to indulge when he's outside of the White House - he had barbecue delivered to Air Force One when he was in Kansas City in December 2021 and ate pizza with the troops when he was in Poland in March 2022.<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12059553/Jill-wants-Joe-80-ditch-ice-cream-stop-eating-like-child.html Jill wants Joe, 80, to ditch the ice cream and stop eating 'like a child': First Lady's battle for Biden to have less spaghetti and more fish and vegetables - with majority of Americans doubting his health and mental fitness for 2024 run]</ref>}}

According to ''Fortune'' magazine: "According to a new study, which was published Monday in JAMA Neurology, eating ultra-processed foods, such as ice cream, hot dogs, and french fries, for more than 20% of your caloric intake could lead to cognitive decline, especially with regards to memory and executive function–the part of the brain that helps us plan, focus, and make decisions."<ref>[https://fortune.com/well/2022/12/06/ultra-processed-food-linked-to-cognitive-decline/ New study says eating ultra-processed food might lead to cognitive decline], Fortune magazine, 2022</ref>

According to numerous peer-reviewed [[medical science]] journals, ultra-processed food (often called merely processed food by laymen and others) poses numerous, serious health risks.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34299832/ Ultra-Processed Food Availability and Noncommunicable Diseases: A Systematic Review], ''International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health'', 2021 Jul 10;18(14):7382. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147382.</ref> PubMed has over 1,800 medical journal articles related to the health risks of ultra-processed/processed food.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=processed%20food PubMed search results for the keyword "Processed food"]</ref> See: [[Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks]]

[[Joseph Biden|Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.]] (born November 20, 1942) is turning 80 in November 2022. He will be 82 years old by the end of the first term of his presidency, the oldest yet of any sitting U.S. president. Biden hasn't disclosed his medical history since 2008, when physicians found he had an irregular heartbeat.<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/bidens-eye-fills-with-blood-during-cnn-climate-town-hall Biden's eye fills with blood during CNN climate town hall], Washington Examiner</ref> Biden has long been troubled by health issues.<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/surgeon-who-operated-on-joe-biden-hes-better-now-than-before-brain-surgery Surgeon who operated on Biden: He's better now than before brain surgery], Washington Examiner, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/bidens-eye-fills-with-blood-during-cnn-climate-town-hall Biden's eye fills with blood during CNN climate town hall], Washington Examiner</ref> Biden has promised to release his medical records in the next several months.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-joe-biden-proves-a-durable-candidate-opponents-delicately-raise-his-age/2019/09/13/f64eb484-d633-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html?noredirect=on As Joe Biden proves a durable candidate, opponents delicately raise his age], Washington Post</ref> (See also: [[Biden's age]])

According to the ''British Medical Journal'', "The brain’s capacity for memory, reasoning and comprehension skills (cognitive function) can start to deteriorate from age 45, finds research published on bmj.com today."<ref>[https://www.bmj.com/press-releases/2012/01/05/cognitive-decline-can-begin-early-age-45-warn-experts Cognitive decline can begin as early as age 45, warn experts], British Medical Journal press release</ref>
[[File:Jill Biden3.png|center|250px|thumb|There's a food fight taking place at the White House that's pitting Joe Biden's love of junk food against [[Jill Biden]]'s quest to get him to eat more healthy.<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12059553/Jill-wants-Joe-80-ditch-ice-cream-stop-eating-like-child.html Jill wants Joe, 80, to ditch the ice cream and stop eating 'like a child': First Lady's battle for Biden to have less spaghetti and more fish and vegetables - with majority of Americans doubting his health and mental fitness for 2024 run]</ref>]]
{{Clear}}
[[File:Cerebellum.jpg|center|thumb|450px|According to the article [https://cam.mbi.ufl.edu/2023/01/31/6089/ Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline] published on University of Florida's Center for Aging and Memory website, the consumption of ultra-processed/processed/junk food may cause brain impairment/cognitive decline. ]]
{{Clear}}
=== Consumption of processed foods and brain impairment ===

''See also:'' [[Cognitive decline and diet]]

The article [https://cam.mbi.ufl.edu/2023/01/31/6089/ Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline] published on University of Florida's Center for Aging and Memory website, the consumption of ultra-processed/processed/junk food may cause brain impairment/cognitive decline. 

Eva Selhub MD wrote at Harvard University's Health Blog:
{{Cquote|Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.

Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from "low-premium" fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body's regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

It makes sense. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain's enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected. What's interesting is that for many years, the medical field did not fully acknowledge the connection between mood and food.<ref>[https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626 Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food] by Eva Selhub MD, Harvard University's Health Blog, 2022</ref>}}

On December 5, 2022, the website News Medical Life Science reported about ultra-processed foods (UPFs):
{{Cquote|In a recent [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2799140 JAMA Neurology] study, researchers report that consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) increases the risk of cognitive decline, particularly among middle-aged adults...

UPFs, which are food products that consist of highly processed food components such as oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates, offer little to no health benefit for the consumer. In addition to these ingredients, UPFs also often consist of artificial flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives. Some examples of common UPFs include breakfast cereals, sweet and savory snacks, ice cream, ready-to-eat frozen meals, processed meats, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Over the past 40 years, the production of UPFs by the global food industry has increased substantially. In fact, recent estimates indicate that UPFs comprise 58% of the calories consumed by U.S. citizens, 57% of those consumed by British citizens, 48% of those consumed by Canadian citizens, and 30% of calories consumed by Brazilian citizens.

Previous studies indicate widespread consumption of UPFs is directly related to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and [[obesity]]. However, due to the lack of data correlating the risk of UPF consumption and dementia, the current study aimed to better understand this potential association.<ref>[https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221205/Eating-ultra-processed-foods-increases-risk-of-cognitive-decline.aspx Eating ultra-processed foods increases risk of cognitive decline], News Medical Life Science website, December 5, 2022</ref>}}
[[Image:Hot dog.jpg|thumb|left|300px|New research indicates that regularly consuming ultra-processed foods such as hot dogs and frozen pizza can raise your risk of cognitive decline.<ref>[https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-ultra-processed-foods-hasten-cognitive-decline How Ultra-Processed Foods Can Raise Risk of Cognitive Decline], 2022</ref>]]
In December 2022, Healthline.com published the article ''How Ultra-Processed Foods Can Raise Risk of Cognitive Decline'' which stated: 
{{Cquote|New research indicates that regularly consuming ultra-processed foods such as hot dogs and frozen pizza can raise your risk of cognitive decline.

In a study published today in the journal ''JAMA Neurology'', researchers looked at more than 10,000 individuals over a median period of 8 years.

They concluded that people whose daily calorie intake is at least 20% from ultra-processed foods had a 25% faster decline in executive functions and a 28% faster rate of overall cognitive impairment.

The researchers noted that if a person’s overall diet quality was high, the effect of ultra-processed foods was less.

“While this is a study of association, not designed to prove cause and effect, there are a number of elements to fortify the proposition that some acceleration in cognitive decay may be attributed to ultra-processed foods,” Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine and nutrition, told CNN.

“The sample size is substantial and the follow-up extensive. While short of proof, this is robust enough that we should conclude ultra-processed foods are probably bad for our brains,” he added.<ref>[https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-ultra-processed-foods-hasten-cognitive-decline How Ultra-Processed Foods Can Raise Risk of Cognitive Decline], 2022</ref>}}

''Fortune'' magazine's wellness portion of its website, Fortune Well, in its article entitled ''French fries on the brain? New study says eating ultra-processed food might lead to cognitive decline'' indicates:
{{Cquote|You may want to think twice before you reach for that bag of potato chips. According to a new study, eating ultra-processed foods, such as ice cream, hot dogs, and french fries, for more than 20% of your caloric intake could lead to cognitive decline, especially with regards to memory and executive function–the part of the brain that helps us plan, focus, and make decisions.

While high intake of ultra-processed foods have been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer and believed to induce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, little was known about its effect on cognition until now.

The study, which was presented Monday at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego by Natalia Gonçalves, PhD from the University of São Paulo, followed roughly 10,000 Brazilians for up to 10 years and defined ultra-processed foods as “those that go through significant industrial processes and contain large quantities of fats, sugar, salt, artificial flavors/colors, stabilizers and/or preservatives.”

More than half of the participants were white and women and the average age was 51. Cognitive performance was evaluated using an array of tests: immediate recall, late recall, recognition, semantic and phonemic verbal fluency and trail-making tests. The most common foods participants reported eating were hot dogs, burgers, pizza, fast food, instant noodles, packaged bread, according to Gonçalves.

While the suggested daily caloric intake depends on a variety of factors, including age, weight and height, as well as level of physical activity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests 2,200–2,800 calories for men between 41-50 years old and 1,800–2,200 calories for women between 41-50 years old, so 20% of a 2,200-calorie diet would be 440 calories. Meanwhile, a snack-sized bag of chips is about 150 calories and there are roughly 285 calories in a slice of pizza.<ref>[https://fortune.com/well/2022/08/02/ultra-processed-foods-linked-to-cognitive-decline-study-says/ French fries on the brain? New study says eating ultra-processed food might lead to cognitive decline], 2022</ref>}}
[[File:Depression.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right|Research from the past ten or so years has shown that the more ultraprocessed foods a person eats, the higher the chances that they feel depressed and anxious.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/well/eat/ultraprocessed-food-mental-health.html#:~:text=What%20effect%20do%20ultraprocessed%20foods,depression%20or%20feelings%20of%20anxiety. ''The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health''], ''The New York Times'', 2023</ref>]]
The [[New York Times]] article ''The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health'' notes:
{{Cquote|Roughly 60 percent of the calories in the average American diet come from highly processed foods. We’ve known for decades that eating such packaged products — like some breakfast cereals, snack bars, frozen meals and virtually all packaged sweets, among many other things — is linked to unwelcome health outcomes, like an increased risk of diabetes, obesity and even cancer. But more recent studies point to another major downside to these often delicious, always convenient foods: They appear to have a significant impact on our minds, too.

Research from the past ten or so years has shown that the more ultraprocessed foods a person eats, the higher the chances that they feel depressed and anxious. A few studies have suggested a link between eating UPFs and increased risk of cognitive decline...

Recent research has demonstrated a link between highly processed foods and low mood. In one 2022 study of over 10,000 adults in the United States, the more UPFs participants ate, the more likely they were to report mild depression or feelings of anxiety. “There was a significant increase in mentally unhealthy days for those eating 60 percent or more of their calories from UPFs,” Dr. Hecht, the study’s author, said. “This is not proof of causation, but we can say that there seems to be an association...

“Many high-quality, randomized studies have shown the beneficial effect of a nutrient-dense diet on depression, but we still do not fully understand the role of food processing on mental health,” said Melissa Lane, a researcher at the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. However, there are some clues.

Much of the research has focused on how poor gut health might affect the brain. Diets that are high in ultraprocessed foods are typically low in fiber, which is mostly found in plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fiber helps feed the good bacteria in the gut. Fiber is also necessary for the production of short-chain fatty acids, the substances produced when it breaks down in the digestive system, and which play an important role in brain function, said Wolfgang Marx, the president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research and a senior research fellow at Deakin University. “We know that people with depression and other mental disorders have a less diverse composition of gut bacteria and fewer short-chain fatty acids.”
<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/well/eat/ultraprocessed-food-mental-health.html#:~:text=What%20effect%20do%20ultraprocessed%20foods,depression%20or%20feelings%20of%20anxiety. ''The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health''], ''The New York Times'', 2023</ref>}}

=== Journal articles related to the consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain impairment ===

*[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2799140 Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline], JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(2):142-150. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.4397

*[https://n.neurology.org/content/99/10/e1056 Association of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption With Risk of Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study], ''Neurology'', July 27, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200871

== See also ==

*[[Alzheimer's disease and prevention]]
*[[Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud and ultra-processed/unhealthy/junk food]]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Joe Biden]]
[[Category:Medicine]]