The risk of dementia is increasing worldwide. Development and improvement are related to genetic and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle.
Meat consumption has traditionally been associated with the risk of depression, but many specific amounts and types associated with dementia risk are not well understood.
A new study aimed to examine the link between eating meat and the risk of dementia. The study by the University of Leeds used data from 500,000 people, finding that consuming 25g of processed meat per day is associated with a 44% increased risk for developing the disease.
The study also shows that eating some unprocessed red meat, such as beef, pork, or veal, may be immune, as people who ate 50g a day were 19% less likely to develop dementia. development.
Lead researcher Huifeng Zhang, Ph.D. a student from Leeds School of Food and Nutrition Science said, “Our research contributes to the growing body of evidence linking the consumption of processed meat to an increased risk for a range of non-communicable diseases.”
For this study, scientists analyzed the data provided by UK Biobank. They wanted to determine associations between eating different types of meat and the risk of developing depression.
The data were collected in 2006-2010, which includes the frequency of participants eating different types of meat, six choices from not once or more per day. Among participants, 2,896 cases of dementia emerged over eight years of follow-up. These people were generally older, economically poorer, less educated, more likely to smoke, less physically active, more likely to have a history of stroke and family history of depression, and more likely to be carriers of a high-linked gene associated with depression.
Moreover, compared to women, men were more likely to experience dementia in the study population.
Some people were three to six times more likely to develop dementia due to established genetic factors. However, the results show that the risks from eating processed meats were at least one that a person was more likely to develop the disease.
This study is believed to be the first large-scale study of participants over time to examine the association between specific meat types and sizes and the risk of developing the disease.
Ms Zhang said: “Further testing is needed, but the management of the effects associated with conventional healthy eating guidelines suggests that a lower intake of unprocessed red meat may be beneficial to health. ”
Professor Janet Cade from Leeds said, “Anything we can do to investigate potential risk factors for depression can help us reduce levels of this debilitating condition. This analysis is a first step towards understanding whether what we eat may affect that risk. “
Magazine Information:
- Risch, HA et al. (3 more authors) (2021) Meat consumption and risk of dementia occurrence: a cohort study of 493,888 UK Biobank participants. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. nqab028. ISSN 0002-9165. DOI: 10.1093 / ajcn / nqab028