Large US study links processed red meat to dementia risk

The longest running study to date of the effects of diet on cognition appears to support widespread suspicions that processed red meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, sausages and salami, are associated with an elevated risk of developing dementia.

Published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the study tracked 133 771 US health professionals for an average 40 years, during which time 11 173 cases of dementia were recorded.1

Researchers used regular questionnaires to record the eating habits of participants and divided them into three categories based on their consumption of processed red meat. The low group ate on average fewer than 0.1 servings a day, the medium group consumed 0.1 to 0.24 servings a day, and the high group averaged over 0.25 servings a day.

In repeated tests administered by telephone, the high consumption group’s global cognition …