A higher red meat intake is directly related to increased risk for dementia and worse cognition, according to study results published in the journal Neurology.

Previous research has shown the effect of consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, on cognitive decline; however, many of these studies have had inconsistent results.

Using the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), researchers prospectively studied the association between long-term red meat intake and dementia, cognitive function, and decline.

The NHS included female registered nurses aged between 30 and 55 years and male registered nurses aged between 40 and 75 years. Questionnaires were sent to participants every 2 years. Participants aged 70 years and older were included in the analysis on objective cognitive function and subjective cognitive decline.

Our findings revealed the potential benefits of replacing processed red meat with plant protein sources such as nuts and legumes, as well as other practical alternatives like fish and poultry, for reducing the risk of dementia and delaying age-related cognitive decline.

Semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires were completed by participants at 2- to 4-year intervals in the NHS and HPFS to evaluate dietary intake. Objective cognitive function, subjective cognitive decline, and information on covariates were assessed.

Primary exposures were processed and unprocessed red meat. Primary outcome was dementia, defined as self-reported dementia and deaths due to dementia.

During 4,383,268 person-years of follow-up, 11,173 cases of dementia were recorded among 133,771 participants with up to 43 years of follow-up.

Participants who consumed 0.25 servings or more per day vs less than 0.10 servings per day of processed red meat had a 13% risk of developing dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.19; P <.001). The association between red meat intake and dementia risk was generally consistent across different subgroups, with noncarriers vs carriers of the APOE e4 allele having a more significant association between unprocessed red meat intake and dementia risk.

Multivariable analysis showed that processed red meat intake of 0.25 servings or more per day vs less than 0.10 servings per day resulted in an additional 0.82 years of cognitive aging in global cognition (mean difference [MD], 0.82; 95% CI, 0.25-1.40; P =.03) and verbal memory (MD, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.22-1.48; P =.03).

Higher vs lower intake (≥0.25 vs <0.10 servings per day) of processed red meat resulted in a 14% increased risk for subjective cognitive decline (risk ratio [RR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.25; P =.004). Higher vs lower intake (≥1.00 vs <0.50 servings per day) of unprocessed red meat resulted in a 16% increased risk for subjective cognitive decline (RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03-1.30; P =.04).

Replacing red meat with 1 serving per day of nuts and legumes was associated with a 19% lower risk for dementia (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.86), fewer years of cognitive aging (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, -2.49 to -0.25), and a 21% lower risk for subjective cognitive decline (SCD; RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.92).

Limitations of the analysis were its observational nature, self-reporting of dementia, which may have led to misclassification, and the limited generalizability to populations other than White health professionals.

“Our findings revealed the potential benefits of replacing processed red meat with plant protein sources such as nuts and legumes, as well as other practical alternatives like fish and poultry, for reducing the risk of dementia and delaying age-related cognitive decline,” the researchers concluded.

References:

Li Y, Gu X, Liu Y, et al. Long-term intake of red meat in relation to dementia risk and cognitive function in US adults. Neurol. 2025;104:e210286. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000210286