Red meat is a staple of American diets, but indulging in burgers, bacon and other such fare may put you at higher risk for dementia, recent research has found.
Regularly eating red meat — especially processed red meat — is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia and other cognitive issues, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published by the American Academy of Neurology.
The good news is that some alternative forms of protein may actually lower the risk of developing dementia.
Here’s a closer look at the findings.
The findings: Dementia
To measure the impact of red meat on dementia risk, researchers looked at data on a group of more than 133,000 people who had an average age of 49 and were tracked for up to 43 years. All of them were free of dementia at the start of that period, but more than 11,000 had developed dementia by the end.
All participants documented their diet every two to four years during this period, enabling researchers to measure their consumption of the following:
- Processed red meats, which include bacon, bologna, hot dogs, salami and sausages
- Unprocessed red meats, which include beef, hamburger, lamb and pork
Researchers found that those who ate the most processed red meat (0.25 serving or more per day, on average) had a 13% higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia compared with those who ate the least (less than 0.1 serving per day).
A serving was defined as 3 ounces, which is roughly equivalent to a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards or bar of soap.
To evaluate the effect of eating unprocessed red meat on dementia risk, researchers compared people who ate less than half a serving per day, on average, with those who ate one or more servings per day. They found no difference in dementia risk.
The findings: Cognitive decline
To measure the impact of red meat on subjective cognitive decline, researchers looked at data from a separate group of more than 43,000 people who had an average age of 78.
Subjective cognitive decline occurs when people notice problems with memory and thinking, but such decline is not yet large enough to show up on tests.
Among folks in this study group, those who ate the most processed red meat (0.25 serving or more per day, on average) had a 14% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline compared with those who consumed the least (less than 0.1 serving per day).
Those who ate one or more servings of unprocessed red meat per day, on average, had a 16% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline compared to those who ate less than half a serving each day.
In a recap of the study results, study author Dr. D. Wang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston says:
“Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health.”
The researchers also found that among a group of more than 17,000 women with an average age of 74, those who ate more processed red meat underwent faster brain aging in terms of global cognitive function.
3 alternative proteins linked to lower risk
In a bit of good news, the researchers discovered that replacing one serving per day of processed red meat with a serving of one of the following proteins was associated with a lower risk of dementia:
- nuts and legumes (like beans and lentils) — 19% lower risk
- fish — 28% lower risk
- chicken — 16% lower risk
In the summary of the study findings, Wang says:
“Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, but the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, like nuts, fish and poultry, may reduce a person’s risk.”
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