What’s the Link Between Consumption of Red Meat and Dementia Risk?

Higher consumption of red meat is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia and experiencing cognitive decline, according to study results presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2024 Annual Meeting, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 28 to August 1, 2024.

Researchers conducted a longitudinal prospective study to examine the relationships between processed and unprocessed red meat intakes and cognitive outcomes. Patients from who did not have Parkinson disease or baseline dementia, stroke, or cancer were eligible for inclusion. Food-frequency questionnaires were used to assess diet intake every 2 to 4 years. Cognitive function was assessed using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (1995-2008).  Data pertaining to subjective cognitive decline were assessed in participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The primary outcome was incident dementia cases, which was determined via self-report and death records.

During a follow-up period of 38 years (1980-2018), 6856 incident cases of dementia were identified in the Nurses’ Health Study cohort, which comprised a total of 33,908 participants.

Individuals with a daily consumption of at least 0.25 servings of processed red meat vs those with a daily consumption of fewer than 0.10 servings of processed red meat per day had a 15% higher risk for incident dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% CI, 1.08-1.23; P <.001).

Significant associations were also found between higher processed red meat intake and accelerated aging in global cognition (1.61 years per 1 daily serving increment; 95% CI, 0.20-3.03; P =.03), as well as in verbal memory (1.69 years per 1 daily serving increment; 95% CI, 0.13-3.25; P =.03).

Participants with a processed red meat intake of at least 0.25 daily servings vs those with a daily intake of fewer than 0.10 servings had a 14% greater likelihood of subjective cognitive decline (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.24; P =.004).

Unprocessed red meat intake of at least 1 serving per day vs fewer than 0.50 servings daily was associated with a 16% higher likelihood of subjective decline (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.04-1.30; P =.02).

Substituting a single daily serving of processed red meat with nuts and legumes was associated with a 23% reduction in dementia risk (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69-0.86), 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging (95% CI, -2.49 to -0.25), and 20% lower odds of subjective cognitive decline (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.69-0.92).

“By studying people over a long period of time, we found that eating processed red meat could be a significant risk factor for dementia. Dietary guidelines could include recommendations limiting it to promote brain health,” the study author concluded.