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 injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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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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