Is Red Meat Entirely Off The Table For Brain Health?
Latest research, explained
Hello everyone. Thank you for all the kind messages! My recovery from knee surgery is going well. I am crushing it at PT and plan to fly home this weekend. You’ll be happy to know that my sister-in-law makes me an enormous salad every day for lunch. Lately I am loving the combination of arugula, avocado, walnuts, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, grapefruit, and turkey.
When it comes to meat, I mostly favor high-quality poultry over red meat. But there’s new data published this month addressing red meat and dementia risk that deserves our attention. When it comes to eating meat, how much puts the brain at risk?
We’ve known for a long time that plant-predominant dietary patterns (like the Mediterranean, MIND, and Green MED diets) perform well in reducing dementia risk. And, we know that diets high in saturated fat—like those packed with meat and other animal products like cheese—are more likely to be bad for both our hearts and our brains. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that many of you have given up eating red meat entirely as you endeavor to eat more brain healthfully.
The truth is that studies about the impact of eating red meat on long term brain health have been really inconsistent. Until now, that is! Two landmark studies, including one published this month, provides science-backed answers to the questions: Does meat have a place in a brain-healthy diet? And, if so, how much and what kind?
Below, I’ll go over what you need to know about meat consumption and dementia risk. We’ll dig into why more recent studies make a distinction between unprocessed and processed meat. If you enjoy eating red meat sometimes but don’t want to put your brain at risk, this new data should be helpful. And if you’ve given up red meat entirely but are looking to add it back into your diet as protein source, read on.
But first, what exactly makes a meat “processed?”
“Processed” vs “unprocessed” meats: what’s the difference
The World Health Organization’s definition of processed meat is: "meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation." This includes bacon, cured ham, smoked and canned meat, hot dogs, sausages, salami, lunch meats, and beef jerky.
In contrast, an unprocessed meat hasn’t had any of these things done to them. For example, ground beef, a piece of steak, and a lamb chop are all considered unprocessed because they have had no chemicals applied to them, just the mechanical act of slicing or grinding. These meats will vary tremendously in saturated fat content depending on how the animals were raised, fed, and harvested.
Highest-quality unprocessed meat can be an asset to a brain-healthy diet by providing:
Vitamin B-12, important for healthy neurons
Heme iron, key for avoiding iron deficiency anemia, which is associated with poor cognitive aging
Protein, older adults who consume adequate protein have a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
The brain-harming properties of processed meat are well documented. Processed meat contains nitrites and N-nitroso compounds which incite oxidative stress. In the brain, oxidative stress is one of the factors that creates an environment of chronic inflammation that attracts sticky proteins like amyloid and tau. Processed meat is often high in sodium which may exacerbate elevated blood pressure, a known risk factor for dementia. And, processed meats tend to be higher in saturated fats than unprocessed meats. So while these food products may provide protein and trace brain health nutrients, they come with a high price.
All meats—both processed and unprocessed—tend to rack up advanced glycation end products (AGEs) when cooked. These inflammatory particles cross the blood brain barrier and cause oxidative stress. Frying, high-heat grilling, searing, broiling, and high-heat roasting are especially AGE-promoting cooking methods. If the food is also slathered with a sugary sauce, such as barbecue sauce, honey, or marmalade, AGE levels skyrocket. However, marinating meat or cooking it over low heat helps reduce AGE formation.
The problem with studying red meat and dementia
As you can see, the distinction between processed and unprocessed meat is an important one. Up until recently, though, studies haven’t taken this into account. Hot dogs and bacon have gotten lumped into the same meat category as a grass-fed steak.
Even the definition of “meat” has not been standardized. To be clear, “red meat” refers to beef, pork, lamb, and venison. But one of the problems with a lot of the meat/dementia data is that red meat has not been uniformly defined. In some studies, “meat” includes poultry, fish and seafood, as well as beef, lamb, and pork. It’s no surprise, then, that up until recently, the study of meat’s impact on dementia risk has been a hot mess.
A 2020 meta-analysis of 29 published studies addressing meat consumption and cognitive function found that:
In 21 studies, there was no correlation between eating meat and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s
In 5 studies, eating meat about once a week was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s
A few studies showed that eating meat increased risk of cognitive decline
The good news is that now we have better, higher quality data that clarifies exactly how much meat is okay to eat. Below, find the takeaways from the latest studies. To dig into the details, read on.
Key Takeaways on Meat and Dementia Risk
