Fast food: Bad for your brain? BBC News Review

Can ultra-processed food affect

your mental abilities?

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.

Stick with us until the end of the programme and you'll learn some vocabulary about junk food.

Yeah, you will. And don't forget subscribe to our channel, like this video,

and try the quiz on our website.

Now, today's story.

Ultra-processed food affects people's mental abilities.

That's according to a new study in Australia, which found

that older people were negatively affected by things like junk food and

fizzy drinks.

Meanwhile, research in the UK

found that almost seventy five percent of calories in

school lunches comes from ultra-processed food.

Health experts have called

for there to be a limit on this type of food for schoolchildren.

You've been looking at the headlines,

Beth. What is the vocabulary?

We have 'ultra', 'cap' and 'escape the cycle'.

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

Let's have a look at our first headline.

This one comes from The New Telegraph in Nigeria.

So, first of all 'cognitive function'.

That's an expression that refers to a broad range of mental abilities,

but we're looking at 'ultra' in the word

ultra-processed.

Processed, though Beth, I think most people know?

Yeah. It's food that has had some kind of industrial process

done to it, often to make the food last longer or look better.

And here, by putting 'ultra'

at the beginning of the word, it means

'extremely'. So ultra-processed food has had a lot of things done to it,

even before we put it in our mouths.

Yeah. And this prefix 'ultra' we can add to different adjectives

and it just means 'more extreme'.

Yeah, exactly. So, a really modern building is ultra-modern.

A very strict teacher could be ultra- strict and someone like you, Neil,

who is really cool could be ultra-cool.

Thanks, Beth. You're welcome.

'Ultra' is added to adjectives, using a hyphen but not always.

No. And you'll see in the headline and in lots of other places

that it can be written as one word or two words with or without a hyphen.

'Ultra' also exists as a noun and it is a type of person.

Exactly. So, an ultra is a person with extreme views on something

so, they have opinions.

For example, that are much more extreme than the other members

of their political party or they might be extreme supporters of football team.

OK, let's take another look at that.

Let's have a look at our next headline.

This one comes from the Times:

And we are looking at the word 'cap'.

Nice and easy, Beth, a cap is something you put on your head.

Well, that's actually quite a useful way of thinking about it.

So, yep, you put a cap on top of your head and

as long as you're standing up that cap is the upper limit of your body.

There is nothing beyond that.

Yes and 'cap' in this headline is used just like that in that way.

Cap is a limit,

something you cannot go above.

Exactly, and we can also use as a verb 'to cap' something

And that just means 'to put a cap on' or 'put a limit on something'.

And, it's quite official sounding?

Yes, is and we mainly use it

for serious things and also official measures taken to limit things,

so, for example, at work

they might put a cap on your spending.

Yeah, but you probably wouldn't say 'I put a cap

on my kids mobile phone use'?

No, probably not. It sounds a bit strange.

So, you might say that you'd restrict their time or put a limit on it.

OK, let's have a look at that again.

Our next headline please. This one comes from The House:

We have 'escaping the cycle'.

There's an expression with two main parts 'escaping' and 'cycle'.

Exactly. So, 'escaping' is about getting away from somewhere

that you don't like. We often hear about people escaping from prison

and the second part is 'cycle'.

Neil, what can you tell us about 'cycle'?

Well, a cycle is something that goes around.

So think of a bi-cycle.

Your legs go around, the wheels go around, a washing machine cycle,

the clothes go round and round and round.

Yep. So, 'escaping a cycle' is to try

and get away from a situation that just keeps repeating itself.

And we do tend to use this for bad, negative situations.

Yeah. And you can put the bad thing in the middle of this expression

'escaping the cycle'.

So, 'escaping the junk food cycle'...

people don't have enough time or money to buy healthy food, they buy

unhealthy ultra-processed junk food,

but then they become unhealthy themselves.

And it's a cycle that goes around.

Yeah. And we can use this with other dangerous situations.

So, we hear about people escaping the cycle of addiction or violence.

Let's take another look.

We've had 'ultra-'. Add it to an adjective and it means 'more extreme'.

'Cap' - a limit. And 'escape the cycle' -

get away from the situation which keeps getting worse.

And you don't want your English to get worse,

so don't forget there's a quiz on our website.

Thank you for joining us, goodbye.