Offal news for grill masters.
Several studies have suggested that a diet high in sugar and saturated fat may contribute to inflammation in the brain, potentially damaging brain cells and increasing the risk of dementia.
New research reveals that consistent consumption of red meat – especially processed red meat, which is often high in saturated fat – increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia more than occasional indulgence.
“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, both of which are linked to poor brain health,” said the study author Dr. Dong Wang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“Our study found that 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, such as nuts, fish and poultry, can reduce the risk. .”
Researchers defined unprocessed red meat as beef, pork, lamb and hamburger.
Processed red meats have been cured, salted, smoked, or chemically preserved for a long shelf life. Bacon, hot dogs, sausages, salami, bologna and similar products were highlighted for this research.
Here are the results of the three-part study on red meat consumption and cognitive decline, published Wednesday in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Dementia
Dementia is a progressive loss of memory, concentration and judgment. A study this week estimates that 42% of Americans will suffer from dementia after age 55.
The authors of the new study followed nearly 134,000 middle-aged people without dementia for 43 years. Just over 11,000 participants developed dementia.
Everyone filled out a food diary every two to four years, recording what they ate and how often.
Processed red meat consumers were divided into three groups: low (less than 0.10 servings daily), medium (0.10 to 0.24 servings daily), and high (0.25 servings or more per day).
A serving of red meat is 3 ounces, or about the size of the palm of your hand.
After adjusting for age, gender and various risk factors, people in the high-drinking group had a 13% higher risk of dementia than those in the low-drinking group.
For unprocessed red meat, researchers found no difference in dementia risk when comparing participants who ate less than half a serving per day to people who ate at least one per day.
Subjective cognitive decline
Subjective cognitive decline occurs when a person reports deterioration in their memory and thinking skills before the decline is significant enough to show up on standard tests.
Nearly 44,000 participants, mostly aged 70 and older, assessed their memory and thinking skills twice during the study.
Researchers determined that those who consumed an average of 0.25 or more daily servings of processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline than those who consumed less than 0.10 daily servings.
Eating one or more daily servings of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 16% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline than eating less than half a daily serving.
Objective cognitive function
Objective cognitive function is your brain’s ability to remember, reason, and solve problems.
About 17,500 participants, with an average age of 74, took memory and thinking tests four times during the study.
Researchers have linked higher consumption of processed red meat to accelerated brain aging and a decline in verbal memory.
They found that the brain aged by 1.61 years and verbal memory deteriorated by 1.69 years with each additional daily serving.
How to reduce your risk of dementia
According to the study, replacing a daily serving of processed red meat with nuts and legumes reduced the risk of dementia by 19% and cognitive aging by 1.37 years.
The risk of dementia decreased by 28% when replacing fish and 16% when replacing chicken.
Wang acknowledged the study’s limitations, including that the participants were primarily white medical professionals. “Further research is needed to evaluate our results in more diverse groups,” he said.
Healthier Ways to Include Red Meat in Your Diet
Red meat is a good source of protein, vitamin B12, zinc, iron and other nutrients – and there are ways to incorporate it into a healthy diet.
Ashley Baumohl, a registered dietitian at Northwell Health Lenox Hill Hospital, suggested looking for labels that say 93% or 95% lean meat.
“It will significantly reduce saturated fat and calories from saturated fat,” she told the Post.
Be sure to keep portion sizes in mind: eat smaller pieces if you want to eat red meat more often. And don’t forget to pair red meat with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes.
