Processed meat shared a robust relationship with the incidence of disease for some time. The last addition on this front comes from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
In a new article by researchers at the University of Leeds, it was determined that even small amounts of processed meat eaten daily can dramatically increase the risk of developing cognitive illnesses later in life.
This finding was derived from a study sample made up of 493,888 participants aged between 40 and 69 years old who were previously registered in a UK biobank.
“Meat consumption was estimated using a small dietary questionnaire for recruitment and repeated 24-hour dietary assessments. The incident of dementia due to all causes comprising Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (RV) was identified by electronic links to hospital and mortality records ”, wrote the authors.
“The HRs for each type of meat in relation to each result of dementia were estimated in Cox proportional hazard models. Interactions between meat consumption and apolipoprotein E (APOE) The ε4 allele was further explored. “
At the end of the study period, 2,896 incident cases of general dementia, 1,006 cases of AD and 490 cases of RV were reported. Each additional intake of 25 g / day of processed meat was associated with increased risks with all the conditions listed above.
The consumption of processed birds did not appear to produce any significant correlation with cognitive decline. However, bacon, sausages, canned meats and cured beef and pork products have been associated with the most profound increases in the risk of dementia.
More discreetly, it was found that a daily intake of just two strips of bacon increases the risk of dementia by up to 44%.
Men were more reliably affected by the adverse health effects associated with the usual consumption of unprocessed meat.
“Worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is increasing and diet as a modifiable factor can play a role,” principal researcher and Ph.D. student Huifeng Zhang explained in a university statement. “Our research adds to the growing body of evidence that links the consumption of processed meat to the increased risk of a range of noncommunicable diseases.
The linear trend was not significant for unprocessed poultry and total meat. Regarding the DV incident, there were no statistically significant linear trends identified, although, for processed meats, higher consumption categories were associated with increased risks. “
On the other hand, eating unprocessed red meat (cow, pork and veal) has reduced the risk of developing cognitive diseases. According to the research literature, consuming 50 grams per day contributed to a 19% reduction in the risk of dementia.
It should be noted that many of the participants who developed dementia showed similar genetic patterns and behaviors.
This group was typically older, male, smoker, inactive, obese, financially unstable and less educated. They were also more likely to carry a family history of stroke or dementia and a gene independently linked to dementia.
“More confirmation is needed, but the direction of the effect is linked to current healthy eating guidelines, suggesting that lower consumption of unprocessed red meat may be beneficial for health.”