Consuming large quantities of red meat, processed foods, and carbonated sugary beverages accelerates the development of dementia and various chronic diseases, according to a research project spanning 15 years.
The investigation monitored approximately 2,500 elderly individuals and found that participants whose eating habits featured high levels of processed meats like bacon and burgers, alongside fizzy drinks, experienced faster progression of neurological and cardiac conditions compared to those with healthier dietary patterns.
The findings, published in Nature Ageing, emerged from the Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care in Kungsholmen (SNACK).
In stark contrast, individuals who adhered to Mediterranean-style eating patterns experienced substantially fewer chronic health problems than participants with the least nutritious dietary habits.
Regularly consuming processed meats could speed up cognitive deterioration
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The Mediterranean approach encompasses vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, nuts and beneficial fats while minimising red meat consumption and processed foods.
Research participants maintaining the most nutritious dietary patterns accumulated between two and three fewer chronic illnesses on average by the study's conclusion compared to those with the poorest eating habits.
Scientists evaluated participants' regular eating patterns using questionnaires and rated them against several established healthy dietary frameworks, including the Mediterranean diet, MIND diet and Alternative Healthy Eating Index.
The research team analysed participants' overall disease burden, examining multiple chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer and joint disorders like arthritis.
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Participants averaged 71 years old at the beginning of the study, with women comprising slightly more than half the cohort.
Dietary patterns showed strong associations with cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric disease accumulation, encompassing conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's and depression.
However, eating habits demonstrated no significant impact on musculoskeletal problems, including arthritis and osteoporosis.
The MIND diet, which merges Mediterranean principles with the DASH approach, specifically targets brain health through emphasis on leafy vegetables and berries while restricting fried foods, butter and sweets.
The Mediterranean diet appears to protect against brain decline
| GETTYThe health benefits of nutritious eating proved especially pronounced among female participants and individuals aged 78 years or older.
"Our results show how important diet is in influencing the development of multimorbidity in ageing populations," shared Adrián Carballo-Casla, a postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institutet Ageing Research Centre.
The research evaluated dietary inflammatory potential using the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index, which identified high consumption of red meat, processed items and sugary beverages as factors linked to accelerated disease progression.