If your diet is rich in processed red meat, you could be at a higher risk of developing dementia. That’s according to new research revealed July 31 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia.

The findings are the result of a four-decade study of more than 130,000 adults. Researchers looked at the link between diet and cognition. They define processed red meat as bacon, bologna or hot dogs. They found the people who ate at least two servings per week of processed red meat had a 14% increased risk of dementia compared to other people who ate less than three servings of processed red meat per month.

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The study also uncovered that every additional daily serving of processed red meat is linked to an additional 1.6 years of cognitive aging, meaning a person’s language ability and executive function could be affected by the consumption of processed red meat. Executive function includes mental skills that control behavior.

If you’re concerned about consuming processed red meat, you can replace one serving with a serving of nuts or beans. That was linked to a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline.

“This is really consistent with a larger body of science that tells us that diets that are lower in fat, lower in sugar, higher in vegetables overall, are what’s really better for our brain health,” said Dr. Heather Snyder, the Alzheimer’s Association vice president of medical and scientific relations.

In addition to lower cognitive decline, eating processed red meat in excess could raise the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

“It may affect the brain because it has high levels of harmful substances such as nitrites (preservatives) and sodium,” said the study’s lead author, Yuhan Li, a research assistant in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Unprocessed red meats such as ground beef or steak weren’t found to be harmful cognitively in the study. Dr. Uma Naidoo, a psychiatrist and director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the overall findings of the study are observational and do not show eating processed red meat definitively causes dementia.

Snyder also said the study was conducted among a mostly white and higher socioeconomic group of health care professionals and may not represent the wider U.S. population. But it’s important to note reducing processed red meat intake overall can improve brain health.

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