A new study suggests that consuming processed red meats like bacon and hot dogs can increase the risk of developing dementia.
According to the research, just two servings per week of processed red meat were associated with a 14% rise in dementia risk compared to those who ate less than three servings per month.
Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association, commented on the findings, noting the importance of diet in brain health.
“Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is a major focus, and the Alzheimer’s Association has long encouraged eating a healthier diet—including foods that are less processed—because they’ve been associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline,” Snyder said.
The study, led by Yuhan Li, a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia. Li conducted the study while a graduate student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Researchers analyzed 43 years of data from 130,000 people involved in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. They examined the relationship between red meat consumption and dementia.
Participants were periodically surveyed about their dietary habits, including their intake of processed red meats like bacon, hot dogs, sausage, salami, and bologna. They were also asked about their consumption of nuts and legumes.
Over the study period, 11,173 cases of dementia were identified. The main finding was that individuals who consumed at least a quarter-serving of processed red meat per day had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate less than a tenth of a serving daily.
The study also explored the cognitive aging of nearly 17,500 participants. It found that each additional daily serving of processed red meat was linked to about 1.6 years of cognitive aging in global cognition, which includes language, executive function, and mental processing. Additionally, it was associated with 1.7 years of cognitive aging in verbal memory.
However, the study found that replacing processed red meat with nuts and legumes could significantly reduce dementia risk. Participants who made this dietary change had a 20% lower risk of developing dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging in global cognition.
“Study results have been mixed on whether there is a relationship between cognitive decline and meat consumption in general, so we took a closer look at how eating different amounts of both processed and unprocessed meat affects cognitive risk and function,” Li explained.
“By studying people over a long period, we found that eating processed red meat could be a significant risk factor for dementia. Dietary guidelines could include recommendations limiting it to promote brain health.”
Li noted that processed red meat may be harmful to the brain due to high levels of preservatives like nitrites and sodium. Moreover, processed red meat has also been linked to increased risks of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Interestingly, the study found no significant association between unprocessed red meat, such as hamburgers, steaks, or pork chops, and dementia risk.
Although these findings are compelling, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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