Processed red meat raises risk of dementia, study suggests
The four decade study of more than 130,000 people also found that swapping one serving of processed meat for nuts, beans, or tofu could lower risk of the disease.
Eating processed red meat raises the risk of dementia, a new study has found.
The results of the large, long-term study were reported this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia, and also showed that eating nuts, beans and tofu can help lower the risk of the disease.
Researchers observed more than 130,000 participants as part of the study, tracking them for up to 43 years to assess the association between red meat and dementia.
Food-frequency questionnaires from the participants were assessed every two to four years and asked how often certain foods were consumed. The criteria referenced servings of processed meats - like bacon, hot dog, sausage, salami, and bologna, as well as healthier foods like nuts and legumes including peanut butter, soy milk, beans, lentils, and tofu or soy protein.
Over the course of the study, researchers identified 11,173 dementia cases amongst the participants.
Now the findings, released after four decades of tracking, show that eating about two servings per week of processed red meat raises the risk of dementia by 14 percent compared to those who eat less than approximately three servings a month.
Each additional daily serving of processed red meat was linked to an extra 1.6 years of global cognitive ageing, including language and executive function.
“By studying people over a long period of time, we found that eating processed red meat could be a significant risk factor for dementia,” said Yuhan Li, a research assistant in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and lead author of the study. “Dietary guidelines could include recommendations limiting it to promote brain health.”
However, replacing one daily serving of processed red meat with one daily serving of nuts and legumes was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of developing dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive ageing in global cognition.
This all suggests that people can decrease their risk of dementia by cutting down on processed red meat and eating more nuts and legumes.
“This large, long-term study provides a specific example of one way to eat healthier”, says Heather M. Snyder, vice president of Alzheimer’s Association.
Snyder says that the Alzheimer’s Association has long encouraged eating a healthier diet - including foods that are less processed - because they’ve been associated with lowering the risk of cognitive decline.
Vegetable-based burgers (pictured above) are a healthier alternative to processed meats.
This recommendation is in line with the outcomes of several other recent studies into diet and illness that similarly show the benefits of healthy, plant-based foods and the risks associated with processed meat and dairy products.
“Processed red meat has also been shown to raise the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes”, adds Li, the study’s lead author, who explains that its negative effects on the brain may be because the meat has high levels of harmful substances such as nitrites (preservatives) and sodium.
Last year, another study found that eating lots of plant-based foods may have a “protective effect” against dementia, and could lower the risk of the disease by almost a quarter - regardless of a person’s genetic risk.
The health benefits of eating more plants has also been linked with fighting lifestyle-related chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
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