Eating too much red meat linked to increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline

Eating large amounts of red meat may be linked to an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline, according to a new study.

Research has already linked red meat consumption to an increased risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

For this new study, scientists from Mass General Brigham Health System, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States analyzed data from thousands of patients between 1980 and 2018.

They found that cognitive aging was accelerated by about 1.6 years per average serving of processed red meat, with a serving weighing about 85g.

Replacing one serving of processed meat with nuts and legumes was also associated with a 19 percent reduction risk of dementia and a 21 percent lower risk of self-reported cognitive decline, the researchers estimated.

Their findings were published in the journal Neurology.

“Dietary guidelines tend to focus on reducing the risks of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, while cognitive health is less frequently discussed, although it is linked to these diseases,” Daniel Wang, professor assistant professor of nutrition at Harvard and corresponding author of the study, said in a statement.

“We hope our results will encourage greater thinking about the link between diet and brain health,” he added.

Although the study methodology is quite robust, it remains observational.

“It is never possible to be certain of what causes what from single observational studies, no matter how large or well-conducted they may be,” said Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University. in the United Kingdom, which did not participate in the study. the study, told Euronews Health.

Reduce red meat consumption

The new study compared dementia rates in a group of people who ate processed red meatwith others who were similar to the first group but ate one less serving per day of processed red meat and one more serving of other protein sources, McConway explained.

“These estimates do not tell us directly what would happen in a group of people who actually changed their diet to eat less processed red meat and more poultry or nuts. The effect of such a move may well be similar to the estimates in the document, but it could be different,” he added.

A brief from the nonprofit EAT, which brings together scientific evidence to provide dietary guidelines, and the journal The Lancet advises people not to consume more than 98 g of red meat (pork, beef or lamb) per week for both ecological and health reasons.

“Existing dietary recommendations for red meat generally already suggest reducing red meat consumption and replacing it with other foods, although the reasons given for this recommendation involve other associations between red meat consumption and “adverse health effects,” McConway said, referring to the links between red meat consumption and the risk of bowel cancer and/or cardiovascular disease.

The study authors and McConway stressed the need for further research.

“We continue to piece together this story to understand the mechanisms behind dementia and cognitive decline,” Wang said.