A groundbreaking study reveals that high consumption of processed red meat significantly increases the risk of dementia. Researchers suggest replacing red meat with healthier protein sources like nuts and legumes to potentially reduce this risk by 20%.

In a study published in the journal Neurology, Dr. Daniel Wang, an assistant professor of medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and his team report that people who eat more processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia over more than four decades that those who consumed minimal amounts.

We asked nutrition experts how consumers can make informed and healthy choices about eating red meat.