WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Researchers have found that frequently consuming red meat, particularly processed red meat like bacon, sausage, salami and bologna, could increase the risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
'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,' said study author Dr. Dong Wang of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
'Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia,' he continued, '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.'
The research involved around 134,000 adults, with an average age of 49, who were not suffering from dementia at the start of the study. They kept a food diary to record what they ate and how much.
The participants consuming processed red meat were divided into three groups - the low group ate an average of less than 0.10 servings a day, the medium group consumed between 0.10 and 0.24 servings per day, and the high group had 0.25 or more servings per day. One serving was equal to three ounces.
After considering factors such as age, sex, and other risk factors for cognitive decline, researchers found that participants in the high group had a 13 percent more risk of developing dementia compared to those in the low group.
Meanwhile, among people consuming unprocessed red meat such as beef, pork, lamb and hamburger, researchers did not find a difference in cognitive decline risk when comparing participants who consumed less than half a serving per day to people who ate at least one serving daily.
To measure subjective cognitive decline, a different group of participants with an average age of 78 rated their own memory and thinking abilities twice during the study.
Researchers found that participants who ate an average of 0.25 servings or more per day of processed red meat had a 14 percent higher risk of subjective cognitive decline compared to those who ate an average of fewer than 0.10 servings per day.
Also, another group of about 17,000 female participants with an average age of 74 were monitored to measure objective cognitive function, which involves how well the brain works to remember, think, and solve problems.
After analyzing the group's memory and thinking tests, researchers found that eating higher processed red meat was associated with faster brain aging with 1.61 years with each additional serving per day and worsened verbal memory with 1.69 years with each additional serving per day.
'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,' advised Wang. 'More research is needed to assess our findings in more diverse groups.'
The study recommended that replacing one daily serving of processed red meat with a serving of nuts or legumes was linked to a 19 percent lower chance of dementia. Moreover, substituting processed red meat with fish cut dementia risk by 28 percent, whereas replacing it with chicken reduced the risk by 16 percent.
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