Cutting down on bacon and sausages could help reduce the risk of dementia, a study has revealed.
Researchers in the US said that replacing one daily serving of processed red meat for a daily serving of nuts, beans or tofu every day may lower the risk of dementia by 20 per cent.
Scientists at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health tracked the dietary habits of more than 130,000 nurses and other health professionals over a period of up to 43 years.
The participants answered questionnaires about how often they ate processed red meat including bacon, hot dogs, sausages and salami.
They were also asked abou their consumption of nuts and legumes such as peanut butter, peanuts and walnut as well as string beans, peas and tofu.
Researchers identified more than 11,000 cases of dementia during the follow-up period.
Participants who ate two servings of processed red meat each week were 14 per cent more likely to develop dementia compared with those who consumed three servings a month, the study found.
There was no significant link found between unprocessed red meat – such as steak and pork chops – and dementia risk.
Processed red meat is any meat that has been cured, salted or smoked. It includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, ham, salami, and pepperoni.
Yuhan Li, a research assistant at the Brigham and Women’ Hospital in Boston and lead author, said: “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.
“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.”
Commenting on the study, Dr Sebastian Walsh, doctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, said: “Whilst eye-catching, it is difficult to know exactly what to make of these results without seeing the full research paper.
“On the surface, this is a large and long study. But it isn’t clear how the analysis was done – specifically what other factors were taken into account when looking at this apparent relationship between red meat and dementia.”
