Red meat consumption increases dementia risk, cognitive decline, says US study

Red meat consumption is an established risk factor for chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancers, like breast and prostate cancers.
Dementia
Dementia
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NEW DELHI: People who eat processed red meat have a greater risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia than those who eat very little red meat, according to a new study.

The study, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also said that replacing one daily serving of processed meat with a serving of nuts, legumes, fish, or chicken may help in lowering dementia risk by approximately 20 per cent.

Red meat consumption is an established risk factor for chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancers, like breast and prostate cancers.

Now, the new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard found that eating greater quantities of red meat, especially in processed forms, like bacon, hot dogs and sausage, were found to be associated with a 13 per cent higher risk of dementia in participants followed for up to 43 years.

“Dietary guidelines tend to focus on reducing risks of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, while cognitive health is less frequently discussed, despite being linked to these diseases,” said corresponding author Daniel Wang, MD, ScD, of the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system.

“We hope our results encourage greater consideration of the connection between diet and brain health,” said Wang, who is also an associate member at the Broad Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School.

The study said dementia represents a growing challenge for patients and families. Among 133,771 individuals included in the study with an average age of 49 years at baseline, 11,173 were diagnosed with dementia up to 43 years later.

The study said a typical serving of red meat is three ounces, approximately the size of a bar of soap.

Those eating a daily average of one-quarter or more of a serving of processed red meats (roughly two slices of bacon, one and half slices of bologna, or a hot dog), compared to those consuming a minimal amount (less than one-tenth a serving each day), had a 13 per cent higher risk of developing dementia, adjusting for numerous clinical, demographic and lifestyle factors such as socioeconomic status and family history of dementia, the study said.

The researchers measured objective cognitive function using standard cognitive assessments. They found this measure was also worse among those with greater processed meat consumption, with cognitive aging accelerated by approximately 1.6 years per average daily serving.

They also examined self-reported subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which may precede markers of cognitive decline on standard evaluations.

A greater risk of SCD was associated with consuming either processed or unprocessed meats (like beef, pork and hamburger). SCD risk increased by 14 per cent for those eating one-quarter or more servings of processed meat daily compared to the minimal-consumption group, and by 16 percent for those eating one or more daily servings of unprocessed meat compared to those eating less than half a serving, the researchers said.

The saturated fat and salt content of red meat may also impair brain cells’ health, the study said.

“Large, long-term cohort studies are essential for investigating conditions like dementia, which can develop over decades,” Wang said. “We are continuing to piece together this story to understand the mechanisms causing dementia and cognitive decline.”

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