new research One rasher a day can raise risk of dementia

Consuming just one rasher a day can increase risk of dementia by 44pc

Eating processed red meat was linked to a range of conditions (Nick Ansell/PA)

Henry Bodkin

March 22 2021 06:00 AM

EATING processed food such as a bacon rasher every day could increase the risk of dementia by 44pc, according to a study.

A long-term research project has strongly implicated unhealthy dishes such as sausages, kebabs and burgers with deteriorating brain health in middle and old age.

The study also found daily consumption of non-processed red meats, such as beef, pork or veal may have a protective effect against dementia.

Leeds University researchers examined data from nearly half a million people in the UK Biobank.

Eating meat linked to wide range of illnesses, study reveals

The cohort, aged 40 to 69, was followed up over eight years, making the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the first large-scale examination of the link, over time, between specific meat products and dementia.

The disease affects up to 8pc of over-60s worldwide.

The team identified 2,896 cases of dementia and calculated the 44pc added risk of developing the condition was linked with consuming 25g of processed meat a day, equivalent to one bacon rasher.

Independent experts urged caution in attributing risk of dementia so precisely, but also said that the overall findings pointed to a general increase of risk from consuming processed meats.