Could Eating Processed Meat Increase Your Risk Of Dementia?



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Scientists at Leeds University’s Nutritional Epidemiology Group used data from 500,000 people, finding that consuming a 25g serving of processed meat per day, or the equivalent of a slice of bacon, is associated with a 44% increased risk of developing the disease.

But their results also show that consuming unprocessed red meat, like beef, pork or veal, could be protective, as people who ate 50g per day were 19% less likely to develop dementia.

Researchers were exploring a potential link between meat consumption and the development of dementia, a health problem that affects 5% to 8% of people over 60 worldwide.

Their findings, titled Meat Consumption and the Risk of Incident Dementia: A Cohort Study of 493,888 British Biobank Participants, are published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Principal researcher Huifeng Zhang, doctoral student at Leeds University’s School of Food Sciences and Nutrition, said: “Worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is increasing and diet as a factor. editable could play a role. growing body of evidence linking the consumption of processed meat to an increased risk of various noncommunicable diseases. “?

The research was supervised by Professor Janet Cade and Professor Laura Hardie, both in Leeds.

The team studied ‘data provided by UK Biobank, a database containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants aged 40 to 69, to investigate associations between consumption different types of meat and the risk of developing dementia.

The data included “how often” participants ate different types of meat, with six options from never to once or more per day, collected in 2006-2010 by UK Biobank. “The study did not specifically assess the impact of a vegetarian or a vegan. diet on dementia risk, but it included data from people who reported not eating red meat.

Among the participants, 2,896 cases of dementia developed over an average of eight years of follow-up. These people were? Usually older, more? Economically disadvantaged, less educated, more likely to smoke, less physically active, more likely to have a history of stroke and family history of dementia, and more likely to carry a gene that is strongly associated with dementia . More men than women were diagnosed with dementia in the study population. ??

Some people were three to six times more likely to develop dementia due to well-established genetic factors, but the results suggest that the risks of consuming processed meat were the same – that a person was genetically predisposed to developing the disease. or not.

Those who ate larger amounts of processed meat were more likely to be male, less educated, smokers, overweight or obese, had lower intakes of vegetables and fruits, and had higher intakes of energy, protein and fat. fat (including saturated fat). ?

Meat consumption has previously been linked to the risk of dementia, but it is believed to be the first large-scale study of participants over time to examine a link between specific types and amounts of meat and the risk of developing the disease.

There are around 50 million cases of dementia worldwide, with around 10 million new cases diagnosed each year. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50% to 70% of cases and vascular dementia about 25%. Its development and progression are associated with genetic and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle. ??

Mrs? Zhang said, “Further confirmation is needed, but the direction of the effect relates to current healthy eating guidelines suggesting that lower intakes of unprocessed red meat may be beneficial for health.”

Professor Cade said: “ Anything we can do to explore potential risk factors for dementia can help us reduce the rates of this debilitating disease. This analysis is a first step in understanding whether what we eat can influence this risk. ”

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More information?

Picture:? Piqsels

For media inquiries, contact Lauren Ballinger, University of Leeds Press Officer, [email protected].

The University of Leeds?

The University of Leeds is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the UK, with over 38,000 students from over 150 different countries and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays an important role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes. ??

We are one of the top ten universities for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and we are in the top 100 of the QS 2021 Global University Rankings. ??

The University received a Gold rating from the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, “recognizing” its “consistently exceptional” teaching and learning offer. Twenty-six of our academics have received National Teaching Fellowships – more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales – reflecting the excellence of our teaching.leeds.ac.United Kingdom??

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