The study was conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and was published in the journal Neurology. The researchers have followed over 130,000 people for four decades, based on two large health surveys, Nurses health study and Health professionals follow-up study.
Based on the data, we see that people with higher intake of processed red meat have a higher risk of dementia, for subjective cognitive decline and poorer cognitive functions, says Daniel Wang at Harvard Medical School, according to Time.
Even moderate intake makes a difference: the risk of dementia increases by 13 percent for those who eat the equivalent of two slices of bacon and one hot dog per day, compared to those who consume less than the equivalent of half a slice of bacon per day. And the risks increase the more meat a person eats, the study shows.
Replacing processed red meat with fish resulted in a 28 percent lower risk of dementia, and choosing chicken instead resulted in a 16 percent lower risk, according to the researchers.
If you reduce your intake, even a little, it will give you cognitive health benefits. The earlier you do it, the better, says Wang.
The study's results, however, did not apply to unprocessed red meat.
The National Food Agency proposed at the beginning of the year to lower the current dietary guidelines of a maximum of 500 grams of red meat and charcuterie per week to 350 grams, but the government postponed the decision.
