Meat Intake and Alzheimer’s Risk in APOE Variants: An Observational Study

In a new observational study from Sweden, people with a genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease had a lower risk of developing this form of dementia if they consumed large amounts of meat. “Those who ate more meat overall had significantly slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia, but only if they had the APOE 3/4 or 4/4 gene variants,” said study author Jakob Norgren , PhD, in a press release .

This finding might come as a surprise considering that most dietary advice around preventing Alzheimer’s or age-related cognitive decline has focused on eating plant foods. “There is a lack of dietary research into brain health,” argued Norgren, “and our findings suggest that conventional dietary advice may be unfavourable to a genetically defined subgroup of the population.” The study, published in JAMA Network Open , was carried out by researchers from the Karolinska Institutet who analyzed data for 2,157 adults aged over 60 living in Stockholm in Sweden.