Processed meats, including sausages and sausages, increase risk of dementia: New York Times

People who regularly eat processed red meat, such as hot dogs, bacon, sausages, salami and bologna, have a higher risk of developing dementia later in life. This finding is based on a preliminary study presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, write New York Times.

The study followed more than 130,000 adults in the United States over 43 years. During this time, 11,173 people developed dementia. Those who ate about two servings of processed red meat a week had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate less than three servings a month.

Eating unprocessed red meat, such as steaks or pork chops, did not significantly increase the risk of dementia, although people who ate it daily were more likely to report cognitive decline. These results have not yet been published in a scientific journal.

Most processed meats are classified as “ultra-processed foods”—foods made with ingredients not used in the home kitchen, such as soy protein isolate, high-fructose corn syrup, modified starches, flavors and colors. These foods often contain high levels of sugar, fat or sodium, which have long been known to be harmful to health.

Ultra-processed foods, including sodas, flavored yogurts, instant soups, and most breakfast cereals, make up a large portion of the American diet. They make up about 58% of the calories consumed by both children and adults. Over the past decade, researchers have linked these foods to health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers.

Scientists are currently investigating the link between ultra-processed foods and brain health.

What does the research show? Several studies published in the last few years have found a link between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and cognitive decline. One study of more than 10,000 middle-aged adults in Brazil found that people who consumed 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods experienced faster cognitive decline over eight years.

Another study, which followed more than 72,000 older people in the UK over 10 years, found that a diet containing 10% more ultra-processed foods was associated with a 25% increased risk of dementia. A similar study of 30,000 Americans over 11 years found that a 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was associated with a 16% greater risk of cognitive impairment. Higher levels of processed food consumption were also associated with an 8% higher risk of stroke.

A major limitation of these types of studies is that they only show a link between ultra-processed foods and brain health, but do not prove that these foods directly harm the brain. And not all studies have found a consistent link between ultra-processed food consumption and cognitive function.

“You can’t conclude that if you eat a certain amount of processed red meat, you’re necessarily going to get dementia,” said Dr. Dong Wang, an associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who led the new red meat study. meat “But given that several studies have shown similar results for ultra-processed foods, we should take it seriously.”,” added Dr. Hussain Yassin, professor of neurology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.