Dementia warning as popular breakfast item linked to silent killer disease

Ditching bacon and sausages at breakfast time could reduce your risk of developing , a study suggests.

Research involving more than 133,000 people in the who were followed for 43 years found those who consumed more were more likely to receive a diagnosis.

Consuming an amount equivalent to two slices of bacon, one and half slices of bologna, or a hot dog was linked to a 13% higher risk of dementia.

People who ate more processed red meat were also found to score worse on brain assessments, with their cognitive aging accelerated by approximately 1.6 years per average daily serving.

Writing in the journal Neurology, experts suggested that replacing processed red meat with protein sources like nuts and legumes or fish could cut dementia risk by around a fifth.

Study author Dr Daniel Wang, of Mass General Brigham healthcare system, said: “Dietary guidelines tend to focus on reducing risks of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, while cognitive health is less frequently discussed, despite being linked to these diseases.

“We hope our results encourage greater consideration of the connection between diet and brain health.”

The link between dementia risk and red meat consumption is not yet full understood, but one theory is that it can affect the microbiome.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a product of the bacteria-mediated breakdown of meat and may increase cognitive dysfunction due to its effects on the aggregation of amyloid and tau, proteins involved in disease.

The saturated fat and salt content of red meat may also impair brain cells’ health, the researchers said.

Dr Wang, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, said: “Large, long-term cohort studies are essential for investigating conditions like dementia, which can develop over decades.

“We are continuing to piece together this story to understand the mechanisms causing dementia and cognitive decline.”