US study links meat and Alzheimer’s
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study, carried out by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, showed that mice fed high levels of advanced glycation end (AGE) products saw a build-up of harmful proteins in the brain.
The UK’s Meat Advisory Panel (MAP) argued against the findings and stressed that red meat contains "highly bioavailable nutrients".
Dr Carrie Ruxton said: "A study evaluating data from big UK dietary surveys indicates that UK diets for people of all ages can be worryingly low in nutrients normally found in meat, including not only iron and zinc but also vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, selenium and potassium.
"Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic syndrome (also detailed in the study) are multifactorial diseases whose risk is influenced by a range of factors including age, genetic inheritance and particularly for metabolic syndrome obesity and physical inactivity."
Meanwhile, Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, pointed to the fact that those in the study did not have dementia.
"Although these findings add to some earlier evidence linking a decrease in the SIRT1 protein to Alzheimer’s, the most common cause of dementia, it’s important to note that the people in this study did not have dementia. This subject has so far not been well-studied in people, and we don’t yet know whether the amount of AGEs in our diet might affect our risk of dementia."
A study published in 2008 by the UK’s University of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Division, partly funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, found that an increased consumption of B12, particularly found in meat and fish, could help prevent dementia.
Ridley added: "This research is at an early stage, and continued investment in research is crucial to understand the significance of results like this. The diseases that cause dementia are complex, and our risk of the condition is likely to be affected by a number of genetic and environmental factors that are not yet fully understood."
MAP further stated that there was emerging evidence that nutrients found in red meat can support cognitive function, immune health and address iron deficiency.
