It has long been a given that people who eat more ultra-processed foods — think soft drinks, chips and cookies — have a greater risk of physical side effects associated with that diet. Now a study has found that such foods are also associated with an elevated risk of memory and thinking problems.

The new paper published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, stops short of claiming proof that eating ultra-processed foods causes memory and thinking problems and stroke. But it does show an association.