Adding bacon to your morning breakfast could raise your risk of dementia, experts warn.
In a newly presented study, described as one of the most ‘robust’ to date, researchers followed over 100,000 adults for four decades to evaluate the link between diet and cognitive health.
The team, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, found that adults who ate at least two servings per week of processed red meat were 14 percent more likely to develop dementia compared to those who had less than three servings per month.
But replacing that slice of bacon with one serving of nuts of beans was enough to slash the risk of cognitive decline by 20 percent.
Processed meats like bacon were linked to a 14 percent increased risk of dementia, according to newly presented research
The above graph shows rates of Alzheimer’s per 100,000 people, both age-standardized and all ages. Age-standardization is a method used to adjust for differences in age distribution between populations or over time, while non-age-standardized is the raw rate calculated across all age groups in the population without any adjustment
The findings come as processed meats like bacon and hot dogs have been blamed on a slew of health issues, including the surge in colorectal cancer among young Americans.
Dr Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, said: ‘This is one of the most robust studies I’ve seen that’s associating processed meat consumption an dementia, because they actually followed individuals for decades.’
The study, which has not yet been published, followed 130,000 adults for 43 years. Every two to four years, the team would collect nutritional data from each participant.
They were asked how often they ate a serving of processed red meat, which could include two slices of bacon, one hot dog, two small links of sausge, and sandwiches made with salami, bologna, or other processed meats. Additionally, researchers asked how often they ate nuts or legumes.
The team then compared the cognitive health of those who ate at least two servings of processed meat per day to those who had less than three servings per month.
In addition to the 14 percent increased risk of dementia, each additional serving of processed meat per day added an extra 1.6 years of cognitive aging, specifically in the areas of the brain that control language and behavior.
However, unprocessed red meats like ground beef and steak did not carry the same risks. ‘When it’s not processed, in moderation, red meat is actually okay,’ Dr Carrillo said.
She noted this could be because processed meats contain nitrates, chemical compounds used to keep meat fresh and preserve color.
When consumed, nitrates convert into nitrosamines, which can damage cells and neurons, impairing cognitive health.
Nitrosamines also promote inflammation in the brain, which breaks down crucial neurotransitters and produces plaques that degrade brain health.
Bacon and lunch meat also have high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol. These have been shown to cause atheroschlerosis, a buildup of fat in the arteries that restricts blood flow to the brain, contributing to cognitive decline.
Additionally, the high sodium in processed meats could lead to high blood pressure, which can damage blood vessels in the brain over time.
Bacon is considered an ultra-processed food, generally going through at least five levels of processing, including curing, smoking, and slicing.
Other recent research has seen similar effects. A 2021 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of nearly 500,000 adults, for example, found that consuming 25 grams of processed meat per day – about six slices of bacon – increased dementia risk by 44 percent.
That intake was also associated with a 52 percent increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
The new findings also suggested that replacing one of those servings of processed meat with a serving of nuts or beans could reduce the risk of dementia by 20 percent.
‘Those are anti-inflammatory foods, so you can imagine they have a lot of benefits in addition to reducing the processed meats with toxins, nitrates and sodium which are not good for you,’ Dr Carrillo said.
The research had some limitations. Participants were mostly white members of a higher socioeconomic class, meaning that the findings might not represent the majority of the US population.
The study was also observational, so it can only show associations rather than direct causes.
The research was presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia.
