Healthy eating can do wonders for your brain health. Adding more evidence to this, recent research uncovers a concerning link between processed meat and an increased risk of dementia.

Dementia results from damage to nerve cells in the brain, leading to memory loss, difficulty with language, and problems with thinking and problem-solving.

The study results presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia revealed that consuming two servings of processed red meat per week is associated with a 14% increase in dementia risk compared to those who eat less than three servings per month.

The researchers also made some interesting findings: replacing a daily serving of processed red meat with nuts, beans, or tofu could cut the risk of dementia by 20%. Conversely, each additional serving of processed red meat was linked to an extra 1.6 years of global cognitive aging, affecting language skills and executive function.

"Study results have been mixed on whether there is a relationship between cognitive decline and meat consumption in general, so we took a closer look at how eating different amounts of both processed and unprocessed meat affects cognitive risk and function," said Yuhan Li, lead author of the study in a news release.

"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. Processed red meat has also been shown to raise the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It may affect the brain because it has high levels of harmful substances such as nitrites (preservatives) and sodium," Li said.

To estimate the link between dementia and red meat consumption, more than 130,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study were tracked for up to 43 years. During this period, researchers identified 11,173 cases of dementia.

The dietary habits of the participants were evaluated every two to four years using food-frequency questionnaires. These questionnaires asked about the frequency of consuming processed red meat, such as bacon, hot dogs, and sausages, as well as nuts and legumes, including peanut butter, peanuts, walnuts, soy milk, beans, and tofu.

The cognitive status was assessed using telephone interviews. The researchers found that each extra daily serving of processed red meat was linked to an additional 1.61 years of global cognition and an extra 1.69 years of cognitive aging in verbal memory. While global cognition refers to the overall cognitive function, including language, executive function, and processing, verbal memory is the ability to recall and understand words and sentences.

But when one daily serving of processed red meat was replaced with one daily serving of nuts and legumes, there was a 20% lower risk of developing dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging in global cognition.

"Prevention of Alzheimer's disease and all other dementia is a major focus, and the Alzheimer's Association has long encouraged eating a healthier diet—including foods that are less processed—because they've been associated with [a lowered] risk of cognitive decline. This large, long-term study provides a specific example of one way to eat healthier," said Heather M. Snyder, Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations, in the news release.

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