Neurology: Replacing processed red meat with nuts, legumes or fish may reduce the risk of dementia by about 20%

Red meat consumption is a recognized risk factor for chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A new study has shown that consuming large amounts of red meat, especially in processed form, increases the risk of developing dementia.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, suggests that replacing processed red meat with protein sources such as nuts and legumes or fish may reduce the risk of dementia by about 20 percent.

Among the 133,771 people included in this study, whose average age at the start of the study was 49 years, 11,173 were diagnosed with dementia 43 years later.

Researchers found that those who ate an average of a quarter or more serving of processed red meat each day, compared to those who consumed a minimal amount (less than one-tenth of a serving per day), had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia, adjusted for multiple clinical, demographic and lifestyle factors such as socioeconomic status and family history of dementia.

They found that the rate was also worse in those who consumed more processed meat, and cognitive aging was accelerated by about 1.6 years for each average daily serving.

The researchers also examined self-reports of subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which can precede markers of cognitive decline in standardized assessments. A greater risk of developing SCD was found to be associated with consumption of processed or unprocessed meat (beef, pork, and hamburgers). The risk of SCD increased by 14% for those who consumed a quarter or more servings of processed meat daily, compared with the minimal consumption group, and by 16% for those who consumed one or more servings of unprocessed meat daily, compared with those who consumed less than half a serving.