Experts claim eating just a quarter of these 5 foods daily could increase your dementia risk

It might be worth considering changing your diet as new research warns multiple foods may be increasing your risk of dementia.

When it comes to your diet, nobody is perfect and will sneak in the odd meal that you know isn’t exactly the best food for you.

However, this can become a greater issue in the long-term due to the negative impacts food can have on your overall well-being and health, especially in the later years of your life.

The foods you eat regularly can end up having detrimental effects later on in life (Getty Stock Image)

A new study has concluded that consistently consuming red meat, especially red meats that are high in saturated fat, will increase your cognitive decline as well as increase your risk of dementia.

The study was published on Wednesday (January 15) in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The scientists behind the study defined unprocessed red meat as beef, pork, lamb and hamburgers.

Processed red meats have been salted, cured, smoked or chemically preserved for a long shelf life.

The study also took issues with five common foods that are eaten on a daily basis across the US.

The researchers named them as bacon, hot dogs, sausages, salami, bologna and similar products.

So, it might be worth dropping them from your daily diet and shifting to healthier options.

Study author Dr. Dong Wang of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston explained their findings and why people may want to consider alternatives to avoid increasing their risk of dementia.

He said: “Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health.

Might be time to ditch the daily bacon sandwiches (Getty Stock Image)

“Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.”

He went on to add that switching to alternatives not only stops you increasing your chances of dementia, but may actually reduce your risk.

He said: “But the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, like nuts, fish and poultry, may reduce a person’s risk.”

In the study, processed red meat eaters were divided into three groups — low (fewer than 0.10 daily servings), medium (0.10 to 0.24 daily servings) and high (0.25 or more servings per day).

A serving of red meat is 3 ounces, about the size of the palm of your hand.

After adjusting for age, sex and various risk factors, those in the high-consumption group had a 13% higher risk of dementia than those in the low group.