New research shows that eating red meat can raise the risk of dementia.
The study, which was published by the National Library of Medicine, found that consistently consuming red meat, especially processed red meat high in saturated fat, can contribute to inflammation in the brain and increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
“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 Dr. Dong Wang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who was listed as an author of the study.
“Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, 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,” he added.
Unprocessed red meat includes beef, pork, lamb and hamburger, while processed red meat includes salted, cured, smoked and chemically preserved meats with longer expiration dates such as bacon, hot dogs, sausages, salami and bologna. The researchers suggest replacing processed red meat with nuts and legumes, which they claimed lowered the risk of dementia by 19%, as well as cognitive aging by 1.37 years.
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