by Isabella Colonna
For April we selected: Li Y, Li Y, Gu X, Liu Y, Dong D, Kang JH, Wang M, Eliassen H, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Wang D. Long-Term Intake of Red Meat in Relation to Dementia Risk and Cognitive Function in US Adults. Neurology. 2025 Feb 11;104(3):e210286. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000210286. Epub 2025 Jan 15. PMID: 39813632; PMCID: PMC11735148.
Our Paper of the Month is a prospective cohort study conducted in the United States, including participants from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between red meat intake and cognitive health.
All participants were dementia-free at baseline. Dietary intake was assessed using the semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires, administered every two to four years. The evaluated endpoints were: (1) dementia; (2) objective cognitive function, measured through the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score and composite scores for global cognition and verbal memory; and (3) subjective cognitive decline, assessed with questionnaires on general memory, executive function, attention, and visuospatial skills. The dementia analysis included 133,771 participants (65.4% female, mean baseline age: 48.9 years). The analysis of objective cognitive function and subjective cognitive decline included 17,458 (all female; mean baseline age: 74.3 years) and 43,966 participants (77.1% female, mean baseline age: 77.9 years), respectively. Follow-up time extended for up to 43 years.
After adjusting for potential confounders and major risk factors, the authors found that participants consuming more than 0.25 servings of processed red meat per day, compared to those consuming less than 0.10 servings per day, had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia and experienced an additional 0.82 and 0.85 years of cognitive aging in global cognition and verbal memory, respectively. Additionally, their risk of subjective cognitive decline was 14% higher. Unprocessed red meat intake was not associated with a higher risk of dementia or declines in objective cognitive function. However, consuming ≥1.00 servings per day, compared to <0.50 servings per day, was linked to a 16% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline. Substitution analysis showed that replacing one daily serving of processed red meat with one serving of nuts and legumes, fish, or poultry was associated with a 19%, 28%, and 16% lower risk of dementia, respectively.
In conclusion, this study demonstrated that in a large cohort of participants who were free of dementia at baseline and assessed through repeated dietary evaluations over decades, higher red meat intake—particularly processed red meat—was associated with an increased risk of dementia and poorer cognitive function. Substituting processed red meat with alternatives such as nuts, legumes, fish, and poultry may help reduce the risk of dementia and delay age-related cognitive decline.
