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Dairy consumption linked to lower dementia risk in surprising new study
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A large Swedish study suggests that some high-fat dairy foods are linked to a lower risk of dementia.
Researchers in Sweden used data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort, which included 27,670 adults aged 45 to 73 in Malmö, Sweden.
The team then conducted interviews, collected food diaries, and asked the patients questionnaires to calculate how much of each dairy product people ate per day. They also separated dairy into high-fat and low-fat types. High-fat cheese was defined as more than 20% fat, and high-fat cream as more than 30% fat.
Participants joined the study between 1991 and 1996 and were followed for an average of 25 years afterward.
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People who consumed at least 20 grams per day of high-fat cream had about a 16% lower risk of all-cause dementia than non-consumers. (iStock)
The main outcome they looked at was all-cause dementia, while Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) were studied separately. Over the follow-up period, 3,208 people developed dementia. Within these groups, those who consumed high-fat cheese were significantly less likely to develop dementia.
“We were a bit surprised to see a lower dementia risk among people who ate more high-fat cheese,” Emily Sonestedt, associate professor of nutritional epidemiology at Lund University in Sweden, told Fox News Digital.
At the same time, she says it isn’t entirely unexpected to see a link with vascular dementia.
Most other dairy products, including low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, milk and fermented milk, showed no consistent association with overall dementia risk. (iStock)
“Many dementia cases involve damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Our own previous work, and several international studies, including from the US, have shown neutral or slightly protective associations between cheese and cardiovascular disease.”
The study adjusted for factors such as age, sex, education, smoking, physical activity, alcohol use, body mass index, hypertension, overall diet quality and other dairy products.
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People who ate at least 50 grams per day of high-fat cheese had a lower risk of all-cause dementia compared with those eating less than 15 grams per day. They also had a lower risk of vascular dementia.
High butter intake was associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while high-fat cheese was linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk only among people without the APOE ε4 genetic risk variant. (iStock)
High-fat cream showed a similar pattern: people consuming at least 20 grams per day had a 16% lower risk for all-cause dementia compared with non-consumers.
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Other dairy products did not show clear links with overall dementia risk. Low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, milk, fermented milk, and butter generally showed no association with all-cause dementia.
One exception was that high butter intake (at least 40 grams a day) was associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study also found that high-fat cheese was linked to lower AD risk only among people who did not carry the APOE ε4 risk variant, a genetic variant linked to Alzheimer’s.
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This was an observational study, so it cannot show cause and effect, and unmeasured factors may still play a role.
“The study was conducted in Sweden, where people mainly eat hard, fermented cheeses, so the results may not apply directly to countries with very different cheese types and eating patterns,” said Sonestedt.
Because the study was observational and diet was measured only once, the results should be interpreted cautiously and cannot be used to conclude that high-fat dairy prevents dementia. (iStock)
Diet was measured only once, so changes over time were not fully captured. Cream intake was measured with less precision than cheese.
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“Although we adjusted for many lifestyle and health factors, it is still difficult to say that the cheese itself is protective. It is more likely part of a broader eating pattern and lifestyle that may support long-term brain health,” researchers noted.
Dementia diagnoses after 2014 were not validated in detail, and baseline cognitive status was not available.
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Some dementia cases may have been missed, and the results are from a Swedish population, which may limit generalization.
The findings were published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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