Regularly eating processed red meats like bacon, hot dogs, sausage, and salami may increase the risk of developing dementia, according to new research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, US.

This study tracked over 1,30,000 people for up to 43 years and found that more than 8% of participants developed dementia. Those who ate around two servings of processed red meat a week had a 14% higher risk of dementia compared to those who ate fewer than three servings per month.

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Swapping a daily serving of processed red meat with a serving of nuts, beans, or tofu was linked to a 20% lower dementia risk.

“We discovered that long-term consumption of processed red meat could significantly increase dementia risk,” said Yuhan Li, the study’s lead author and a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The saturated fat, sodium, iron, and nitrites in processed red meat have been specifically linked to higher risks of stroke, chronic inflammation, high blood pressure, and neurological disorders.

“Processed red meat also raises the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes due to its high levels of harmful substances like nitrites and sodium,” Li added.