The Impact of Sweets, Pizza and Processed Meat on Accelerating Cognitive Decline

A new study on aging and the brain highlights the role of pizza, processed meat and sweets.

Mehr: A new study on aging and the brain spotlights the role of pizza, processed meat and sweets.

According to Yahoo Health, researchers in Australia followed 185 elderly people and found that a Western-style diet was associated with a faster decline in attention and concentration, but only among people who carried a variant of a gene associated with Alzheimer's risk.

This study used data from the Western Australian Memory Study. The participants were an average of 70 years old, and none had a diagnosis of dementia when they joined, although some were already showing signs of memory problems.

They completed detailed dietary questionnaires, underwent genetic testing, and had cognitive tests every 18 months.

Rather than isolating individual foods, the researchers identified two dietary patterns. The Western pattern included red and processed meat, chips, pizza, pastries, refined grains, and beer. The "careful" pattern emphasized fruits, vegetables, garlic, and whole grains.

About 30% were carriers of APOE ε4, the strongest common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. This factor increases the risk but does not guarantee the disease. Among carriers of this gene, a diet associated with the Western pattern was associated with a faster decline in attention and concentration.

Non-carriers did not show any significant association and the cautious pattern did not show any association in any of the groups. These results are related to attention scores, not Alzheimer's diagnoses.

A larger study will shed some light on the gene angle. In 2024, researchers examined the status of 3,360 elderly people in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, including 1,097 people with the APOE ε4 gene.

Among people with this gene, consuming more saturated fat was associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline. For every 5% increase in the share of calories received from saturated fats, the rate of overall decline in cognitive function increased by 21%; This figure refers to the rate of decline, not a 21% increase in Alzheimer's risk.

On the other hand, the consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids through food was associated with a different trend and was associated with a slower decline in cognitive performance. None of these relationships were observed in people without the mentioned gene.