“Red Meat and Your Brain: Uncovering the Hidden Risks of Cognitive Decline”

Consuming substantial amounts of red meat may correlate with a heightened risk of dementia and cognitive deterioration, as suggested by a recent investigation. 

Previous studies have already associated red meat consumption with an increased likelihood of conditions such as heart disease and Type-2 diabetes. 

In the new research, scientists from the healthcare system Mass General Brigham, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US examined data from thousands of patients from 1980 to 2018.

They discovered that cognitive aging was expedited by approximately 1.6 years per average serving of processed red meat, with a serving amounting to about 85 g.

Swapping one serving of processed meat for nuts and legumes was linked to a 19 percent lesser risk of dementia and a 21 percent reduced risk of self-reported cognitive decline, researchers estimated. 

Their research was published in the journal Neurology.

“Dietary recommendations typically focus on lowering risks of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, while cognitive health is less often addressed, even though it is connected to these illnesses,” stated Daniel Wang, an assistant professor of nutrition at Harvard and the study’s lead author.

“We aim for our findings to inspire a deeper consideration of the relationship between diet and cognitive wellness,” he added.

Although the study’s methodology is robust, it remains observational. 

“It is impossible to definitively ascertain causation from single observational studies, regardless of their size or execution quality,” remarked Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics at The Open University in the UK, who was not involved in the study, to Euronews Health.

Reducing red meat intake

The recent study compared dementia rates among individuals who consumed processed red meat with those in a similar demographic who consumed one less serving per day of processed red meat and one more portion of alternative protein sources, McConway clarified. 

“These evaluations do not directly indicate what might occur in a group of individuals who actually modified their diet to consume less processed red meat and increased their intake of poultry or nuts. The outcome of that adjustment could indeed be akin to the predictions in the study, but it might differ,” he continued. 

A report by the non-profit EAT, which consolidates scientific evidence to provide dietary recommendations, along with the journal the Lancet recommends individuals not to consume more than 98 g of red meat (pork, beef, or lamb) weekly for both ecological and health purposes.

“Current dietary guidelines regarding red meat typically suggest diminishing red meat intake and replacing it with other food sources, although their articulated reasons for that recommendation involve other associations tied to red meat consumption and negative health outcomes,” referenced McConway, highlighting the connections between red meat consumption and the risks of bowel cancer and/or cardiovascular disease.

Both the study’s authors and McConway underscored the necessity for additional research.

“We are persistently piecing together this narrative to comprehend the mechanisms driving dementia and cognitive decline,” Wang expressed.