A new study has found that eating processed red meats could raise the consumer ‘s odds for dementia. The findings were presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia.

Not a specific disease, dementia is a group of conditions characterised by impairment of at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and judgement.

Overall, just two servings per week of processed red meat was linked to a 14 per cent rise in dementia risk, compared to folks who ate less than three servings per month.

The finding made sense to Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations the Alzheimer’s Association, given what experts know about diet and the brain.

“Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia is a major focus, and the Alzheimer’s Association has long encouraged eating a healthier diet—including foods that are less processed—because they’ve been associated with [a lowered] risk of cognitive decline,” Snyder said.

“This large, long-term study provides a specific example of one way to eat healthier.” The study was led by Yuhan Li, now a research assistant in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She conducted the study while a graduate student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.