Study Suggests Higher Meat Intake May Lower Alzheimer's Risk in Some Individuals

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in JAMA Network Open, offers a surprising perspective on diet and brain health. Researchers found that higher meat consumption may help protect against cognitive decline in older adults who carry high-risk variants of the APOE gene.

The APOE gene plays a central role in determining the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals with APOE 3/4 or 4/4 variants are significantly more likely to develop dementia. However, this long-term study suggests that diet could influence how this genetic risk unfolds.

The research followed over 2,100 adults aged 60 and above for up to 15 years as part of the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care. Participants’ dietary habits were analyzed alongside cognitive performance. Among those who consumed lower amounts of meat, individuals with high-risk APOE variants had more than double the risk of developing dementia compared to those without these variants.

In contrast, this increased risk was not observed in participants with the highest meat intake. In fact, individuals with APOE 3/4 or 4/4 who consumed more meat showed slower cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia. The median intake in this group was around 870 grams of meat per week.

Importantly, the type of meat mattered. Higher consumption of unprocessed meat was associated with better outcomes, while a greater proportion of processed meat was linked to increased dementia risk, regardless of genetic background. The study also found that higher unprocessed meat intake in high-risk individuals was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause.

Despite these promising findings, researchers caution that the study is observational and does not establish cause and effect. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm whether dietary changes can directly modify dementia risk.

Overall, the findings highlight the potential for personalized nutrition strategies, where dietary recommendations could be tailored based on an individual’s genetic profile, opening new avenues in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

REFERENCE: Jakob Norgren, Adrián Carballo-Casla, Giulia Grande, Anne Börjesson-Hanson, Hong Xu, Maria Eriksdotter, Erika J. Laukka, Sara Garcia-Ptacek. Meat Consumption and Cognitive Health by APOE Genotype. JAMA Network Open, 2026; 9 (3): e266489 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.6489