Serious health warning issued to everyone who eats red meat

A new warning has been issued to everyone who eats red meat or partakes in a carnivore diet.

It comes just days after a woman revealed the shocking impact meat and dairy had on her body after switching to an all-meat diet following six years as a vegan.

Now, I think most of us have enjoyed a burger over the years. Even if you now enjoy a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, most Brits are brought up with sausages, bacon and bolognese as staples of our diet.

And given the amount of pictures and videos I see of red meat dishes all over Instagram, it is safe to say they're incredibly popular choices to this day for adults in every corner of the UK. But there is a health warning that comes with this, courtesy of new medical research.

Research in to red meat risk

Over in the United States of America, a study has been published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Appearing in the online issue of Neurology on Wednesday (15 January), the study has looked in to the health risks associated with eating processed red meats such as sausage, bacon, or sliced ham.

The outcome doesn't make for good reading if you enjoy any of these, or similar products.

Processed meat has its dangers (Getty Stock Images)

Author of the study, Dong Wang, MD, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston Massachusetts, said: "Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health.

"Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. But the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, like nuts, fish and poultry, may reduce a person’s risk."

A total of 133,771 people took part in the study with an average age of 49 and without a dementia diagnosis to their name.

Replacing processed red meat with fish lowered risk (Getty Stock Images)

What did people eat?

Participants were followed for up to 43 years of their lives. Of the people taking part, 11,173 people developed dementia.

Everyone in the study completed a food diary every two to four years, listing what they ate and how often. Researchers defined processed red meat as bacon, hot dogs, sausages, salami, bologna and other processed meat products.

They defined unprocessed red meat as beef, pork, lamb and hamburger. A serving of red meat is three ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and other risk factors for cognitive decline, researchers found that participants eating the most processed red meat had a 13 percent higher risk of developing dementia compared to those eating the least amount.

Sausages might taste great but there's a real risk, the research explains (Getty Stock Images)

To counter this, researchers also found that replacing one serving per day of processed red meat with one serving per day of nuts and legumes was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging.

Making the same substitution for fish was associated with a 28 percent lower risk of dementia and replacing with chicken was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of dementia.

"Reducing how much red meat a person eats and replacing it with other protein sources and plant-based options could be included in dietary guidelines to promote cognitive health,” Wang said. “More research is needed to assess our findings in more diverse groups.”

The lesson from this is check what you're eating and maybe look at replacing processed red meat with fresh red meat or, to be healthier, fish, nuts, and legumes.