In our quest for optimal health, it’s easy to buy into wellness trends that promise rapid gains and simple fixes. Yet some of these healthy habits can backfire, quietly undermining the things they claim to promote. Beyond general health concerns, certain wellness trends may pose an especially concerning risk for brain function. Four popular trends should be explored—sugary health foods, unregulated supplements, metric-obsession, and burning incense or scented candles—and the science showing how each can erode brain health.
- Healthy Foods Loaded with Sugar
Many bestselling products marketed as wholesome—like beverages, granola bars, flavored yogurts, cereals, and other snacks—are major sources of added sugar. Excessive sugar intake has been linked to accelerated cognitive decline and dementia risk. A recent UK Biobank analysis of over 200,000 people found that higher dietary sugar consumption was associated with a greater incidence of dementia.
Over time, high-sugar diets may promote inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance in the body and the brain, key drivers of impaired synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Almost all guidelines agree that we should limit added sugar, regardless of the source. The top takeaway is to read your ingredients list when purchasing an item, and avoid foods and beverages with high levels of added sugar. Don’t be misled by clever marketing or a veneer of health!
2. Unregulated Supplements
The supplement aisle is largely self-regulated: manufacturers need only ensure products are many supplements are at risk of containing brain-damaging molecules. When most Americans take supplements, the scope of a potential problem becomes profound. In a survey of 121 Canadian dietary supplements, almost 2 percent were found to have high levels of brain-damaging heavy metals like lead and aluminum, and in an analysis of about 7,000 women in the US, those using herbal supplements were found to have lead levels that were 10 percent higher than non-users.
In addition to the overt brain risks posed by contamination with heavy metals, researchers have also drawn attention to the potential that brain health supplements could contain adulterant pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals, including antidepressants, stimulants, anti-anxiety, and anti-inflammatory drugs, have been discovered across the spectrum of supplements, but especially sexual enhancement and weight loss products. These same types of adulterants are suggested to be a risk in the brain health supplements space.
What can you do to mitigate these concerns? Make sure your supplements are third-party verified by groups like NSF and USP. Be extra cautious when purchasing supplements that are only available online. Discuss your supplements with your healthcare practitioner. Avoid supplements that make sensational claims.
3. Stressful Overconcern
Aspects of wellness culture can provide significant benefits in an age where poor health is the default. Yet at the extreme, overemphasis on unsustainable, unachievable, and otherwise impractical advice can lead to significant stress and unhealthy habits, compromising overall health and especially brain health. With the rise of influencer culture, unrealistic comparisons to photoshopped images, hyperbolic lifestyles, and sensationalized health advice are everywhere. How does this affect the brain?
Orthorexia nervosa is a newer description for a pathological obsession with eating healthy foods. An unhealthy effort to eat perfectly can promote emotional stress as well as malnutrition and other negative health implications. Upward comparisons on social media (where we compare ourselves to people who we deem superior to ourselves) are linked to poor mental health. With wellness celebrity content often extolling unrealistic perfect health and physiques, there are potential risks posed to the psychological state of those engaging with these influencers’ content. Recent research finds this may be of particular concern for women.
4. Incense and Scented Candles
Burning incense sticks and scented candles may seem to create a relaxing ambiance, but they release a cocktail of airborne toxins. Indoor incense combustion generates fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, and carbon monoxide. Research in older adults in community settings found that regular incense exposure was associated with impaired cognitive function and altered brain connectivity on fMRI.
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Similarly, Taiwanese research showed that individuals exposed to incense smoke scored lower on the Mini-Mental State Examination test, an independent risk factor for cognitive decline. Scented candles likewise emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (formaldehyde, benzene) and PM₂.₅. Even short-term exposure to an indoor candle has been shown to reduce performance on tests of cognition, a result that has been since verified in a 2025 publication. Scented candles may be particularly concerning because they release VOCs in addition to particulates.
Some reasonable tools to mitigate the potential risks of incense and indoor candles include decreasing total burning time and improving ventilation in the home (opening windows and running a high-quality air purifier). If you choose to use indoor candles, unscented beeswax may be a better bet than scented candles, paraffin candles, or soy candles. Keeping candle wicks trimmed can also help reduce air pollution.