Eating processed meats can increase one’s chances of dementia, say researchers from the UK, with just one bacon a day associated with a 44% increased risk of contracting the brain-wasting disease.
Researchers at the University of Leeds examined data from almost half a million people to determine how eating meat affects health. Their findings, published Monday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show that eating a 25g serving of bacon – one grater – can increase a dementia risk by up to half every day.
If processed meat is bad, the researchers also say that eating 50 g of unprocessed red meat – such as beef, veal or pork – can help fight dementia, reducing the risk of the disease by a fifth (19%).
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Researchers from the University’s Nutritional Epidemiology Group looked at data from almost 500,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 living in the UK and tried to find links between eating meat and dementia, a disease that has led to 8% of people over 60 worldwide are affected. .
“Our research contributes to the growing body of evidence linking the consumption of processed meat to the increased risk of a range of non-communicable diseases,” said lead researcher Huifeng Zhang of the University of Leeds.
The team behind the study also found that nearly 2,900 cases of dementia – including Alzheimer’s – appeared more frequently in men over eight years. The researchers found that those who contracted the disease also tended to be less educated, smoke, be overweight and eat more junk food and less fruits and vegetables.
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“Anything we can do to investigate potential risk factors for dementia can help us slow down the rate of this debilitating condition,” says Professor Janet Cade, who oversees the research.
It is estimated that there are approximately 50 million cases of dementia worldwide, with approximately 10 million new cases being diagnosed annually. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for between 50% and 70% of cases, and vascular dementia about 25%.
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