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Scientists discovering that consuming a 25g serving of
processed meat a day, the equivalent to one rasher of bacon,
is associated with a 44% increased risk of developing the
disease. But their findings also show eating some
unprocessed red meat, such as beef, pork or veal, could be
protective, as people who consumed 50g a day were 19% less
likely to develop dementia. The researchers were exploring
whether there is a link between consumption of meat and
development of dementia, a health condition which affects
5%-8% of over 60s worldwide. 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 consuming
different types of meat and risk of developing
dementia. The data included how often participants consumed
different kinds of meat, with six options from never to once
or more daily, collected in 2006-2010 by the UK Biobank. The
study did not specifically assess the impact of a vegetarian
or vegan diet on dementia risk, but it included data from
people who said they did not eat red meat. These people
were generally older, more economically deprived, less
educated, more likely to smoke, less physically active, more
likely to have stroke history and family dementia history,
and more likely to be carriers of a gene which is highly
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 findings suggest
the risks from eating processed meat were the same whether
or not a person was genetically predisposed to developing
the disease. Those who consumed higher 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
(including saturated fat). Meat consumption has previously
been associated with dementia risk, but this is believed to
be the first large-scale study of participants over time to
examine a link between specific meat types and amounts, and
the risk of developing the disease. There are around 50
million dementia cases globally, with around 10 million new
cases diagnosed every year. Alzheimer's Disease makes up 50%
to 70% of cases, and vascular dementia around 25%. Its
development and progression are associated with both genetic
and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle.
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