Brain Health & Meat

One aspect of maintaining brain health is reducing the risk of dementia. Much of the research is devoted to what we eat.

Researchers examined data from two cohorts of health care professionals (133,771), taken for periods of 37 and 43 years. They ascertained how many participants experienced dementia from both cohorts. For subgroups, they analyzed data on objective cognitive function (17,458 participants), and subjective cognitive decline (43,966 participants). For all participants, they analyzed detailed data on eating patterns that were taken every 2-4 years. The participants were an average age of 49 years at baseline, and within the 43-year study timespan, 11,173 were diagnosed with dementia.

Researchers discovered that the participants who ate more processed red meat, such as bacon, hot dogs, or bologna, were diagnosed with dementia at higher rates than those who ate less processed red meat. Using a typical serving size of 3 ounces, roughly the size of a bar of soap:

• Those who ate ? of a serving or more, on a daily basis had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia,
• For objective cognitive function, those who ate more processed red meat experienced accelerated cognitive aging at about 1.6 years per average daily serving, and
• The risk of self-reported subjective cognitive decline increased by 14% for those who consumed more than a ? daily serving of processed meat, and 16% for those who consumed one or more daily servings of unprocessed meat, such as beef or pork.

Researchers also found that replacing one serving of processed meat per day with nuts or beans:

• Reduced the risk of dementia by 19%
• Lowered cognitive aging by 1.37 years
• Cut the risk of subjective cognitive decline by 21%.

Takeaway: Substituting meat with nuts or beans, and/or reducing meat consumption, is likely to preserve cognitive functioning and reduce the risk of dementia.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

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Sources

Yuhan Li, et. al, Long-Term Intake of Red Meat in Relation to Dementia Risk and Cognitive Function in US Adults | Neurology, Jan. 15, 2025.

Brandon Chase, Processed Red Meat Linked to Higher Dementia Risk - Neuroscience News, Jan. 18, 2025.