Bacon, hot dogs, and sausages, the yummy staples at many tables, may not be as good for your brain health as for your taste buds. Researchers now urge cutting back on red meat, particularly processed ones, to reduce the risk of memory issues and dementia.
Earlier studies have shown how the consumption of red meats increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease, the risk factors of dementia. A recent study highlights an even stronger connection: eating just one extra serving of processed meat, like a single sausage, may harm your brain health.
The latest study published in the online journal Neurology revealed that compared to those who ate less processed meats (fewer than 0.10 servings) daily, those who ate more (0.25 servings or more) have a 13% increased risk of dementia. For context, a single serving of meat is approximately three ounces, and a sausage weighs around 2 to 4 ounces.
Eating more processed red meat was linked to faster brain aging, with each extra serving per day resulting in a 1.61-year decline in overall brain function and a 1.69-year decline in verbal memory. These findings were made after evaluating 133,771 people, with an average age of 49, who did not have dementia at the start and tracked for up to 43 years.
Unprocessed red meat poses similar risks to brain health. Researchers evaluated a separate group of 43,966 participants with an average age of 78 to understand the impact of red meat on subjective cognitive decline, the measure of the brain’s ability to remember, think, and solve problems. According to the study, individuals who consumed one or more servings of unprocessed red meat per day had a 16% higher risk of experiencing subjective cognitive decline compared to those who ate less than half a serving daily.
However, a relieving finding was that when the participants replaced one serving per day of processed red meat with one serving per day of nuts and legumes, there was a 19% lower risk of dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging.
“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,” study author Dr. Dong Wang, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a news release.
“Reducing how much red meat a person eats and replacing it with other protein sources and plant-based options could be included in dietary guidelines to promote cognitive health,” Dr. Wang added.
Bacon, hot dogs, and sausages, the yummy staples at many tables, may not be as good for your brain health as for your taste buds. Researchers now urge cutting back on red meat, particularly processed ones, to reduce the risk of memory issues and dementia. Earlier studies have shown how the consumption of red meats increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease, the risk factors of dementia. A recent study highlights an even stronger connection: eating just one extra serving of processed meat, like a single sausage, may harm your brain health. The latest study published in the online journal Neurology revealed that compared to those who ate less processed meats (fewer than 0.10 servings) daily, those who ate more (0.25 servings or more) have a 13% increased risk of dementia. For context, a single serving of meat is approximately three ounces, and a sausage weighs around 2 to 4 ounces. Eating more processed red meat was linked to faster brain aging, with each extra serving per day resulting in a 1.61-year decline in overall brain function and a 1.69-year decline in verbal memory. These findings were made after evaluating 133,771 people, with an average age of 49, who did not have dementia at the start and tracked for up to 43 years. Unprocessed red meat poses similar risks to brain health. Researchers evaluated a separate group of 43,966 participants with an average age of 78 to understand the impact of red meat on subjective cognitive decline, the measure of the brain’s ability to remember, think, and solve problems. According to the study, individuals who consumed one or more servings of unprocessed red meat per day had a 16% higher risk of experiencing subjective cognitive decline compared to those who ate less than half a serving daily. However, a relieving finding was that when the participants replaced one serving per day of processed red meat with one serving per day of nuts and legumes, there was a 19% lower risk of dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging. “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,” study author Dr. Dong Wang, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a news release. “Reducing how much red meat a person eats and replacing it with other protein sources and plant-based options could be included in dietary guidelines to promote cognitive health,” Dr. Wang added.
