Recent research, including a new study on red meat, has linked these foods to an increased risk of dementia. Experts are trying to understand why.
People who regularly eat processed red meat, like hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami and bologna, have a greater risk of developing dementia later in life. That was the conclusion of preliminary research presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
The study tracked more than 130,000 adults in the United States for up to 43 years. During that period, 11,173 people developed dementia. Those who consumed about two servings of processed red meat per week had a 14 percent greater risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate fewer than three servings per month.
Eating unprocessed red meat, like steak or pork chops, did not significantly increase the risk for dementia, though people who ate it every day were more likely to report that they felt their cognition had declined than those who ate red meat less often. (The results of the study have not yet been published in a journal.)
The vast majority of processed meats are classified as “ultraprocessed foods” — products made with ingredients that you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, like soy protein isolate, high fructose corn syrup, modified starches, flavorings or color additives. Many of these foods also have high levels of sugar, fat or sodium, which have long been known to adversely affect health.
Ultraprocessed foods, which also include items like sodas, flavored yogurts, instant soups and most breakfast cereals, make up a huge part of the American diet. They account for about 58 percent of the calories consumed by both children and adults, on average. In the last decade, researchers have linked these foods to health conditions including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and some types of cancer and gastrointestinal diseases.
Now scientists are examining the connection between these foods and brain health.
What does the research suggest?
Several studies published in the past few years have found an association between eating more ultraprocessed foods and cognitive decline. In one study of more than 10,000 middle-aged adults in Brazil, for example, people who consumed 20 percent or more of their daily calories from ultraprocessed foods experienced more rapid cognitive decline, particularly on tests of executive functioning, over the course of eight years.