Health
Red meat could raise dementia risk, researchers claim, yet some doctors have questions
While red meat is a rich source of protein, iron and other nutrients, a recent study linked it to an increased risk of dementia — but some doctors are casting doubt on the claim.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Mass General Brigham found that daily consumption of certain amounts of processed red meats increased dementia risk by 13%, according to a press release.
It was also tied to a 14% higher risk of developing subjective cognitive decline and faster brain aging.
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“The findings did not really surprise us,” lead study author Yuhan Li, a researcher from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, told Fox News Digital.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Mass General Brigham found that daily consumption of certain amounts of processed red meats increased dementia risk, but some doctors are casting doubt. (iStock)
“The results are generally in line with our hypothesis, showing that a higher intake of red meat, particularly processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and worse cognition.”
The increased risk was seen in people who ate at least one-quarter of a serving of unprocessed meats per day, according to the research article. This equates to around one hot dog, two slices of bacon, or one and a half slices of bologna.
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The researchers also suggested that replacing one serving of processed red meat per day with a serving of nuts and legumes could reduce dementia risk by 19% — and that replacing it with fish could reduce the risk by 28%.
The study included 133,771 individuals, 11,173 of whom received a dementia diagnosis over a four-decade span. The data came from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), which tracked participants’ dietary choices and health status.
The increased risk was seen in people who ate at least one-quarter of a serving of unprocessed meats per day, which equates to around two slices of bacon, one hot dog, or one and a half slices of bologna. (iStock)
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study was published on Jan. 15 in the journal Neurology.
The findings were first presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) earlier in 2024.
Experts react to the findings
“There are many reasons to believe that too much red meat is linked to dementia,” Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.
“In the case of processed meat like bacon and ham, the chemicals added may also lead to dementia via inflammation and neuroinflammation,” added Siegel, who was not involved in the new research.
The researchers suggested that replacing one serving of processed red meat per day with a serving of nuts and legumes could reduce dementia risk by 19%. (iStock)
The doctor also warned of red meat potentially leading to weight gain and obesity, which can cause inflammation and in turn raise the risk of dementia.
“Red meat may also lead to heart disease, which increases dementia risk,” Siegel noted.
Theresa Gentile, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in New York, noted that previous research has found an association between red meat — especially processed red meat — and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are both related to impaired cognitive health.
“There isn’t a single food or ingredient that … has been shown to cause, increase risk, prevent, treat or cure Alzheimer’s or other dementias.”
“This was a large study conducted over a long period of time and was adjusted for confounding factors and still found that, in three different groups, eating more processed red meat was associated with cognitive decline than eating less,” Gentile, who did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital.
Some experts suggested that the risk is linked more to ultraprocessed foods in general rather than specific meats.
“The results are generally in line with our hypothesis, showing that a higher intake of red meat, particularly processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and worse cognition,” said one of the researchers (not pictured). (iStock)
Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., senior vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, pointed out that a number of studies have suggested that diets with more ultraprocessed foods are bad for brain health.
“For example, a report at the AAIC 2022 found that people who eat large amounts of ultraprocessed foods have a faster decline in cognition,” Snyder, who was not involved in the new study, told Fox News Digital.
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“More than 20% of daily intake of ultraprocessed foods led to a 28% faster decline in global cognitive scores, including memory and verbal fluency.”
It is “unlikely” that one food will have a “significant beneficial or detrimental effect on a disease as complex as Alzheimer’s,” according to Snyder.
“There isn’t a single food or ingredient that, through rigorous scientific research, has been shown to cause, increase risk, prevent, treat or cure Alzheimer’s or other dementias,” she stated.
Potential study limitations
Siegel noted that the study was observational, which means that “no strict conclusions can be drawn.”
“We still need double-blinded, randomized trials to draw more definite conclusions,” he said.
It is “unlikely” that one food will have a “significant beneficial or detrimental effect on a disease as complex as Alzheimer’s,” one expert stated. (iStock)
Lead study author Yuhan also acknowledged the potential limitations.
“The Nurses’ Health Study enrolled female registered nurses, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study enrolled U.S. male health professionals,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“These participants tend to have higher educational attainment and income levels, and therefore, the study’s generalizability may be limited. In addition, because this study is an observational study, residual confounding remains a possibility.”
Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician and diabetes specialist in Tennessee, was not involved in the study but shared his thoughts on “healthy user bias” potentially skewing the results.
“The people who are eating the least amount of processed meat and the least amount of red meat in these studies — they were also exercising every day,” one doctor noted when speaking about the research. (iStock)
“The people who are eating the least amount of processed meat and the least amount of red meat in these studies — they were also exercising every day,” he said in a video posted on his YouTube channel last week.
“They absolutely did not smoke. They did not drink to excess. They were trying their best to live a healthy life.”
“We still need double-blinded, randomized trials to draw more definite conclusions.”
Research has shown that exercising regularly and eating whole, unprocessed foods can decrease the risk of dementia, Berry noted.
“I don’t think any nutrition expert would argue with that,” he said, but added that there is “no evidence whatsoever” that red meat is linked to higher dementia risk.
Healthy dietary tips
Gentile recommended limiting servings of processed red meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs and deli meats to less than a quarter of a serving per day, and to consider healthier protein alternatives like fish, nuts, legumes and chicken.
“A balanced diet with moderation in terms of protein sources and serving size is key,” Gentile said. “If your diet is heavy in processed red meats, try swapping one of those servings out for beans, fish or chicken.”
One registered dietitian recommended limiting servings of processed red meats and considering protein alternatives like fish, nuts, legumes and chicken. (iStock)
The nutritionist also suggested including brain-boosting foods each day, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.
The Alzheimer’s Association has long encouraged eating a balanced diet to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia types, Snyder noted.
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“That includes foods that are less processed to ensure that our bodies get the needed nutrients, because they’ve been associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline,” she told Fox News Digital.
“As research continues, we may uncover other dietary patterns that increase or decrease our risk.”
Berry pointed out that while he is a self-described “carnivore,” he is not completely “anti-plant.”
“I’m a proponent of a proper human diet, which ranges from low-carb with vegetables and berries and nuts, to keto with a few berries and vegetables and nuts, to ‘ketovore’ with just a little veg for flavor and garnish, all the way to carnivore,” he said in his video.
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The best diet for any individual should depend on multiple factors, he said, including their overall metabolic health, age, weight, genetics and gut microbiome.
Added Berry, “That’s the proper human diet spectrum.”
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A new study suggests that annual mammograms may not be the only effective approach for preventing breast cancer.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), tested a risk-based breast cancer screening approach against standard annual mammography.
The WISDOM randomized clinical trial, led by study authors from universities and healthcare systems across the U.S., considered more than 28,000 women aged 40 to 74 years old, splitting them into a risk-based screening group and an annual mammography group.
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Researchers calculated each woman’s individual risk based on genetics (sequencing of nine breast cancer genes) and other health factors.
A new study suggests that annual mammograms may not be the only effective approach for preventing breast cancer. (iStock)
Those who were at the highest risk were advised to alternate between a mammogram and an MRI scan every six months. Patients with elevated risk were told to get an annual mammography and counseling.
Average-risk women were guided to get mammograms every two years, while low-risk individuals were advised to have no screening until they became higher risk or reached age 50.
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The researchers found that risk-based screening did not lead to more advanced cancer diagnoses (stage 2B or higher) compared with annual screening, indicating that it is just as safe as traditional methods. The risk-based approach, however, did not reduce the number of biopsies overall, as researchers had hoped.
Among the risk-based group of women, those with higher risk had more screening, biopsies and detected cancers. Women at lower risk had fewer procedures.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), tested a risk-based breast cancer screening approach against standard annual mammography. (iStock)
“[The] findings suggest that risk-based breast cancer screening is a safe alternative to annual screening for women aged 40 to 74 years,” the researchers noted in the research summary. “Screening intensity matched individual risk, potentially reducing unnecessary imaging.”
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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier, associate professor of radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey, commented that while these findings are important, the study “completely sidelines” what screenings are designed to do — detect cancer early.
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“If you don’t measure stage 0, stage 1 or stage 2A cancers, you can’t tell whether personalized screening delays diagnosis in a way that matters for survival and treatment intensity,” Saphier, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Those who were at the highest risk were advised to alternate between a mammogram and an MRI scan every six months. (iStock)
More than 60% of breast cancers in the U.S. are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2A, where cure rates exceed 90%, the doctor noted.
The trial doesn’t “fully evaluate” whether risk-based screening changes detection at the earliest and most treatable stages, where screening “delivers its greatest benefit,” according to Saphier.
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“Mammography is not without risk — radiation exposure, false positives, anxiety and potential over-diagnosis are real and should be acknowledged,” she said. “But it remains the most effective, evidence-based tool for detecting breast cancer early, when treatment is most successful.”
The expert added that labeling women under 50 as “low risk” is “outdated,” as breast cancer diagnoses are on the rise in younger females.
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“Until long-term mortality data support alternative approaches, annual screening beginning at 40 for average risk women should continue,” Saphier added. “Women should be assessed for breast cancer risk by 25 years old to determine if screening should begin earlier.”
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Washington, DC – Medical victim Chloe Cole was at the center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Thursday announcement of proposed regulatory actions to end “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors.
The proposed regulatory actions by the HHS are part of President Donald Trump‘s January executive order calling on the department to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
The department is rolling out a series of policy updates and regulatory actions that would effectively defund hospitals that provide gender transition procedures, according to an HHS official.
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Cole, now 21 years old, went through the process of medical transition from female to male between the ages of 12 and 16.
The California native took to the stage alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials Thursday to advocate for the protection of children. Afterward, she told Fox News Digital the puberty blockers, testosterone injections and double mastectomy she endured have irreversibly and permanently affected her health.
Detransitioner Chloe Cole joined HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday as he announced proposed regulations ending gender treatments for children. (Fox News Digital)
“As soon as gender was in the picture, none of my doctors or psychologists asked the real questions that they should have,” said Cole. “The entire focus was on my feelings and what I wanted rather than what I really needed in that moment.”
What she needed, Cole said, was to be loved and affirmed for the way God created her — “as a young and yet tomboyish little girl.”
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She maintained that her doctors neglected to share risks, only touting the “benefits” of stopping female puberty and using testosterone to promote body hair growth, musculature and different fat distribution.
“There was nothing they could say to me that would make me understand the gravity of what I was about to go through, because I was still growing up,” said Cole. “I had very little experience in the world, and I simply would not be mature enough to be equipped to undergo such a life-changing procedure in every way.”
“I had very little experience in the world, and I simply would not be mature enough to be equipped to undergo such a life-changing procedure in every way,” Cole, pictured above in both pictures, told Fox News Digital. (Chloe Cole; Fox News Digital)
Cole noted that her parents never thought she was transgender, but felt like the odds were stacked against them.
“At the time when we started going through this as a family, there really were no resources that would speak to the reality of transgenderism, especially for children,” she said. “Most people were not aware then that this was something that was even happening in our hospital systems.”
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Cole said her parents were warned that if they did not allow her to transition, she would likely commit suicide.
“My legal guardians were forced to make this decision under duress,” she shared in a previous statement. “But even if my parents had supported transitioning medically from the start, no parent or any adult, ultimately, has a right to determine whether a child gets to be chemically sterilized or mutilated.”
“While there are only two sexes, there’s a million different ways that you can be yourself,” said Cole, pictured above during her surgeries. (Chloe Cole)
Cole said she’s suffered numerous complications from her medications and surgery. “My quality of life is still being impacted to this day,” she wrote in her statement.
Her fertility status now remains unknown, she said. She will not be able to breastfeed because her breasts were surgically removed.
“As an adult, I am now grieving, and on top of that, the areolar skin grafts they used in my surgery began to fail two years afterward. I must wear bandages on my chest every day,” Cole wrote.
“As an adult, I am now grieving.”
In 2023, Cole filed a lawsuit with the Center for American Liberty (CAL) against hospitals for pushing her into what she believes is medical mutilation.
Mark Trammell of CAL told Fox News Digital that Thursday’s HHS announcement “represents a critical acknowledgment that experimental medical interventions on children with gender distress have failed to meet basic standards of safety and effectiveness.”
Cole, who detransitioned after medical procedures, is warning others to wait and seek family support before transitioning. (Fox News Digital)
“It signals that medicine must return to its core ethical obligation: First, do no harm,” Trammell added.
“We will continue fighting to ensure accountability for the institutions that promoted these practices and to secure justice for the children and detransitioners whose lives were forever altered.”
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In a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital, Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he is in favor of a “more conservative approach” for minors.
“Long-term effects of puberty blockers may include bone loss, trouble concentrating, interference with learning and interference with fertility,” he said. “I think it makes sense in most cases to treat underlying mental health concerns before jumping into treatments, including surgery, that may be difficult to reverse.”
“It makes sense in most cases to treat underlying mental health concerns before jumping into treatments.”
The doctor also emphasized that gender issues should not be overly politicized. “This means not superimposing an ideology or pushing physicians to act in a certain way or under pressure,” Siegel said.
Cole began the gender transition process at age 12 and received a double mastectomy surgery at 15 years old. (Fox News Digital)
“The welfare of the child must come first. In this case, it means going very slowly and providing support to a child or teen with gender dysphoria.”
Cole shared that she hopes any children who are questioning whether they should transition wait.
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“While there are only two sexes, there are a million different ways that you can be yourself,” she added.
“God is there for you. He is the one who has created you this way, and you can seek his counsel,” Cole went on.
“You can continue praying, and I think ultimately it’s connecting with your family, building your purpose in this world, and looking to the gospel and up to God.”
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed reporting.
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Those at risk of type 2 diabetes may be able to prevent heart problems later.
A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology discovered that lowering the blood sugar of those with prediabetes could reduce the risk of heart attack by half.
Diabetes researchers and endocrine experts across Europe, China and the U.S. investigated how bringing blood sugar back to normal levels affected the chances of heart problems later in life, based on a 20-year American study and a 30-year Chinese study, according to a press release.
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In both studies, the prediabetic participants were coached to make appropriate lifestyle changes to lower blood sugar (the amount of glucose in the bloodstream) through diet and exercise, also targeting weight loss.
Participants worked to lower blood sugar through diet and exercise targeted at weight loss. (iStock)
The researchers split the participants into a remission group (where blood sugar returned to normal) and a non-remission group, which included those still in the prediabetes range. They then determined who in these groups had died from heart disease or were hospitalized for heart failure.
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Participants who went into remission had a 58% lower risk of dying from heart disease and being hospitalized for heart failure. This group also had a lower risk of other major heart events and lower overall death rates.
These heart-protective benefits lasted for decades after the program ended, the researchers found.
Those in prediabetes remission had their risk of a heart event reduced by more than half. (iStock)
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented in the publication of the study. “Targeting remission might represent a new approach to cardiovascular prevention.”
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, study co-author and professor of medicine at the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany, reiterated that reaching prediabetes remission is not only relevant for reducing the progression of type 2 diabetes, but may also be associated with a “meaningful reduction in… heart attack risk, cardiac death and heart failure.”
“Importantly, this underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions (especially lifestyle measures, and in selected cases, medication) can make a real difference,” he added.
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, including that it is based on analysis of trials not originally designed to measure cardiovascular outcomes, which means the results show association but cannot prove causation.
In addition, unmeasured lifestyle and health factors, population differences and lack of randomization for heart outcomes may have influenced the reduced cardiovascular risk, the researchers acknowledged.
“This underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions … can make a real difference.”
Birkenfeld suggested that those with prediabetes should ask their doctors the following questions: “What is my current status? What is my personal cardiovascular risk? What is my target blood glucose level?”
Patients should also inquire about the frequency of testing for blood sugar and key risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and other related conditions, such as kidney function or sleep apnea, he advised.
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“If lifestyle changes aren’t enough or my risk is high, would medication be appropriate for me — and what are the benefits and downsides?” the researcher asked as an example.
About 98 million American adults, more than one in three, have prediabetes, according to CDC data. Eight in 10 of these adults are unaware that they have the disease.
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