Processed meat ‘could raise risk of dementia’

CONSUMING the equivalent of a single rasher of bacon a day could increase the risk of developing dementia, new research carried out in Yorkshire suggests.

Scientists from the University of Leeds, using data from 500,000 people, have highlighted links between the disease and eating processed meat.

Just 25g a day is associated with a 44 per cent increased risk of developing dementia, they found, while eating some nonprocessed meats such as pork or veal could actually be protective.

The findings are published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Lead researcher Huifeng Zhang, a PhD student, said: “Worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is increasing and diet as a modifiable factor could play a role.

“Our research adds to the growing body of evidence linking processed meat consumption to increased risk of a range of non-transmissible diseases.”

The research, supervised by Professor Janet Cade and Professor Laura Hardie, used data from British people aged 40 to 69.

A great number of factors are associated with people developing dementia, from genetics to lifestyle, and while meat consumption has previously been considered, this is believed to be the first large-scale study over time looking at meat types.

Ms Zhang said: “Further confirmation is needed, but the direction of effect is linked to current healthy eating guidelines, suggesting lower intakes of unprocessed red meat could be beneficial for health.”

Prof Cade added: ‘Anything we can do to explore potential risk factors for dementia may help us to reduce rates of this debilitating condition. This analysis is a first step towards understanding whether what we eat could influence that risk.”