BATON ROUGE, La. (WOWO) — Eating about 25 grams of processed meat a day — roughly one or two slices of deli meat, depending on thickness — was associated with a substantially higher risk of dementia in a study examined as part of a new review of ultra-processed foods and brain health. The find ing comes from a broader review published in the August 2026 issue of the Annual Review of Nutrition. An international team of 27 researchers examined dozens of human and animal studies looking at the relationship between ultra-processed foods, brain aging and neurological health. One of the studies included in the review followed nearly 500,000 people in the United Kingdom. Researchers found that every additional 25 grams of processed meat consumed each day was associated with a 44% higher risk of all-cause dementia and a 52% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers emphasized, however, that the evidence is observational. The findings show an association between processed meat consumption and dementia risk, but they do not establish that eating deli meat or other processed meat directly causes dementia. The broader review examined ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, which include products such as packaged snacks, sugary beverages and other foods that undergo extensive industrial processing and may contain additives including preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial colors. Owen Carmichael, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge and lead author of the review, told Fox News Digital that the findings highlight questions about how highly processed foods may affect long-term health. “The main takeaway for consumers is that it is very easy to get food items into the food supply without really understanding what kinds of effects they have on health, including the health of the brain,” Carmichael said. Carmichael said researchers are considering several possible explanations for the association between ultra-processed foods and brain health. One possibility is that diets high in these foods contribute to cardiovascular problems that, over time, can affect the brain. Another possibility is that certain additives or other components of highly processed foods could have direct effects on brain chemistry. Both possibilities remain under investigation. The review’s authors noted that much of the existing research comes from observational studies and animal experiments. Long-term randomized clinical trials, which can provide stronger evidence about whether a particular dietary exposure causes a health outcome, are still lacking. That distinction is particularly important when considering processed meat. Processed meats include products such as deli turkey, ham, salami, bacon, hot dogs and sausages. The new review does not establish that consuming those foods causes dementia. Instead, researchers found associations in existing studies between higher consumption of processed meat and higher dementia risk. The review also examined what might happen when people replace some ultra-processed foods with less processed alternatives. Research cited by the authors suggested that replacing 10% of calories from ultra-processed foods with unprocessed foods was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia. That finding is also observational and should not be interpreted as proof that making that precise dietary substitution will prevent dementia. Ultra-processed foods are a major part of the American diet. Experts cited in the review and accompanying reporting estimate that these foods account for roughly 55% of daily calories consumed by Americans. William Scott Burgin, a vascular neurologist at the University of South Florida who was not involved in the review, told Fox News Digital that the convenience and relatively low cost of many ultra-processed foods make them difficult to avoid completely. Burgin said people should be cautious about treating every food classified as ultra-processed as equally harmful. Some products technically classified as ultra-processed can have nutritional benefits, he said, pointing to fortified whole-grain cereals, yogurt and certain packaged breads and grain products as examples. “All that being said, while I encourage people to reduce their consumption of UPFs, a cookie every now and then is not a problem,” Burgin said. He also said dietary patterns that support cardiovascular health can benefit the brain, recommending foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. The connection between cardiovascular and brain health is one of the leading considerations in research into diet and dementia. High blood pressure, vascular disease and other cardiovascular problems can affect blood flow to the brain and are associated with cognitive decline. That has led researchers to investigate whether dietary changes that improve cardiovascular health could also reduce the risk of neurological disease. Carmichael described the relationship simply as “healthy heart, healthy mind,” while stressing that the mechanisms behind the observed associations require additional research. The findings come as researchers continue to investigate whether the modern food environment itself may contribute to long-term health problems. Ultra-processed foods are designed to be convenient, shelf-stable and appealing, and many are heavily marketed. They also can be less expensive and easier to prepare than fresh or minimally processed foods. That makes dietary changes more complicated than simply advising people to avoid particular products. The researchers’ review does not establish a single dietary cause of dementia, nor does it suggest that eating a particular food occasionally will result in cognitive decline. Instead, the findings add to a growing body of research examining whether overall dietary patterns and long-term exposure to highly processed foods may influence brain aging. Burgin said consumers should also be careful about interpreting the research too broadly because of the way ultra-processed foods are categorized. Foods that fall under the same technical classification can have very different nutritional profiles, meaning the category itself does not necessarily indicate that every individual product has the same effect on health. The review’s authors similarly pointed to the need for more research to determine which specific foods, ingredients or processing methods may be most important. For people interested in supporting long-term brain health, the available evidence overlaps with many established recommendations for cardiovascular health: eating more fruits and vegetables, including fish and other sources of healthy fats, and limiting excessive consumption of heavily processed foods. The new review does not establish that eliminating deli meat or all ultra-processed foods will prevent dementia. Instead, it adds to evidence that researchers say warrants further investigation into how diet, cardiovascular health and brain aging interact over decades. The strongest finding involving processed meat was an association: in one large U.K. study reviewed by the researchers, each additional 25 grams of processed meat consumed per day was associated with a 44% higher risk of all-cause dementia and a 52% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers stress that those percentages describe relative risk in an observational study and do not mean that a person who eats one or two slices of deli meat each day has a 44% chance of developing dementia. The review’s larger message is that dietary patterns may be one of several factors worth studying as scientists work to understand dementia risk, while stronger long-term clinical research is needed to determine which dietary changes can actually prevent or delay cognitive decline. The post New review examines processed meat, ultra-processed foods and dementia risk appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less