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Higher Intake of Red Meat Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 16, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2025 -- Higher intake of red meat, especially processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk for developing dementia and subjective cognitive decline (SCD), according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Neurology.

Yuhan Li, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the association between red meat intake and cognitive outcomes. Participants free of dementia at baseline from two nationwide cohort studies were included; a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess diets.

The researchers found that the risk for dementia and SCD was increased for participants with processed red meat intake ≥0.25 versus <0.1 serving per day (hazard ratio of 1.13 and relative risk of 1.14, respectively). Accelerated aging in global cognition and in verbal memory was seen in association with higher processed red meat intake (1.61 and 1.69 years per one serving per day increment, respectively). A higher risk for SCD was seen in association with unprocessed red meat intake of ≥1.00 versus <0.5 serving per day (relative risk, 1.16). Replacing processed red meat with one serving per day of nuts and legumes was associated with a lower risk for dementia (hazard ratio, 0.81), 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging, and a lower risk for SCD (relative risk, 0.79).

"Replacing processed red meat with healthier protein sources such as fish, poultry, eggs, low-fat dairy, nuts, and legumes may have substantial benefits for maintaining cognitive health," the authors write.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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