August 01, 2024
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Eating about two servings a week of processed red meat raises the risk of dementia by 14% compared to those who eat less than approximately three servings a month, according to research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia.
Eating processed red meat increases one's risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia.
People who ate 1/4 servings or more of processed red meat daily – about two servings a week – had a 14% higher risk of dementia than those who ate less than 1/10 of a serving every day, the research showed. Swapping out one daily serving of processed red meat for one serving of nuts and legumes was linked to a 20% lower risk of developing dementia.
"Processed red meat has also been shown to raise the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes," said Yuhan Li, a research assistant at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the study's lead author, in a release. "It may affect the brain because it has high levels of harmful substances such as nitrites (preservatives) and sodium."
Each additional daily serving of processed red meat was linked to an extra 1.6 years of overall cognitive aging, including language and executive function, researchers found. Every added serving of processed red meat also was linked to an extra 1.69 years of decline in the ability to recall and understand words and sentences.
The research did not find a significant association between dementia and eating unprocessed red meat, such as hamburger, steak or pork chops.
The researchers used data from two related studies to track more than 130,000 people for up to 43 years, assessing their diet every two to four years by asking how often they ate bacon, sausage, salami, bologna or other processed meat. The study also tracked how often people ate peanut butter, peanuts and other nuts, as well as legumes, such as beans or lentils. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Previous research on the relationship between eating red meat and cognitive decline has been mixed, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
