Eating a quarter serving of these 5 foods a day increases the risk of dementia

News for grill masters.

Some studies have suggested that a diet high in sugar and saturated fat may contribute to inflammation in the brain, potentially damaging brain cells and increasing the risk of dementia.

New research finds that regular consumption of red meat — especially processed red meat, which is often high in saturated fat — increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia more than occasional indulgence.

“Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, both of which are linked to decreased brain health,” the study author said. Dr. Dong Wang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital at. Boston.

“Our study found that processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Wang continued, “but the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, such as nuts, fish and poultry , can reduce a person’s risk.

The researchers defined raw red meat as beef, pork, lamb and hamburger.

Processed red meat is salted, cured, smoked or chemically preserved for a long shelf life. Ham, hot dogs, sausages, salami, bologna and similar products have been highlighted for this research.

Here are the results of the three-part study on red meat consumption and cognitive decline, published Wednesday in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dementia

Dementia is the progressive loss of memory, concentration and judgment. A study this week estimated that 42% of Americans will experience dementia after age 55.

The authors of the new study followed about 134,000 middle-aged people without dementia for up to 43 years. About 11,000 participants developed dementia.

They all filled out a food diary every two to four years, listing what they ate and how often.

Eaters of processed red meat were divided into three groups – low (less than 0.10 servings per day), medium (0.10 to 0.24 servings per day) and high (0.25 or more rations per day).

A serving of red meat is 3 ounces, about the size of the palm of your hand.

After adjusting for age, gender and other risk factors, those in the high intake group had a 13% higher risk of dementia than those in the low intake group.

For unprocessed red meat, researchers did not find a difference in dementia risk when they compared participants who consumed less than half a serving a day with people who ate at least one serving a day.

Subjective cognitive decline

Subjective cognitive decline is when a person reports deterioration in memory and thinking skills before the decline is significant enough to show up on standard tests.

Nearly 44,000 participants, mostly in their late 70s, had their memory and thinking skills assessed twice during the study.

The researchers determined that those who ate an average of 0.25 or more servings per day of processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline than those who consumed less than 0.10 servings per day.

Eating one or more daily servings of raw red meat was associated with a 16% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline than eating less than half a serving per day.

Objective cognitive function

Objective cognitive function is how well your brain works to remember, reason, and solve problems.

About 17,500 female participants, with an average age of 74, underwent memory and thinking tests four times during the study.

Researchers linked higher consumption of processed red meat to accelerated brain aging and decline in verbal memory.

They found that the 1.61-year-old brain and verbal memory deteriorated by 1.69 years with each additional daily serving.

How to reduce the risk of dementia

According to the study, replacing a daily portion of processed red meat with nuts and legumes reduced the risk of dementia by 19% and cognitive aging by 1.37 years.

The risk of dementia was reduced by 28% when fish was replaced and by 16% when chicken was replaced.

Wang acknowledged the study’s limitations, including that the participants were primarily white health care professionals. “More research is needed to evaluate our findings in more diverse groups,” he said.

Healthier ways to include red meat in your diet

Red meat is a good source of protein, vitamin B12, zinc, iron and other nutrients – and there are ways it can be part of a healthy diet.

Ashley Baumohl, a registered dietitian at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, suggests looking for labels that say 93% or 95% lean meat.

“This will significantly reduce saturated fat and calories from saturated fat,” Baumohl told The Post.

Be sure to keep portion sizes in mind – eat smaller portions if you want to eat red meat more often. And don’t forget to combine red meat with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes.