In the “Neurology” scientific letter, the results of a comprehensive study on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing dementia have appeared. For 43 years, eating habits of over 130,000 people were analyzed to assess how the consumed products affect their brain.
It turned out that one popular product contributes to memory problems. It is available in every store and a lot of people eat it every day.
Scientists and doctors followed eating habits for 43 years, and underwent people who were about 49 years old during their start. Of the 133,771 US residents, dementia was detected in 11,173 people. They consumed processed red meat 13% more often than the other participants.
It was assumed that they ate a quarter or more portions of this product weighing 85 g every day. In turn, those who did not get sick consumed less than one tenth of this portion.
Scientists assessed the cognitive abilities of participants, using standard tests and analyzing their subjective feelings. It turned out that people consuming larger amounts of processed red meat achieved worse results, especially in memory tests. The process of deteriorating cognitive functions did them faster – every daily portion accelerated this effect by about 1.6 years.
Researchers additionally suspect that this product promotes memory disorders through trimethylamine oxide, arising with bacteria from the breakdown of meat. It is he who can contribute to cognitive disorders. This happens, among others due to the impact on the aggregation of amyloid and tau – proteins closely related to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In this respect, however, further research will be needed.
Saturated fats and salts, which are a lot in processed red meat, also have a negative effect on nerve cells.
Processed red meat are pork and beef products, i.e. sausages, bacon, salami, mortadel, ham, chops, steaks, as well as meat sauces, e.g. bolognese. If we want to avoid dementia, so we should limit these products.
However, there is a list of products that delay memory disorders, and are also a source of protein. So let’s replace processed red meat with fish, and legumes, i.e. peas, chickpeas or tofu.
