Monday Aug 12, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study published in Annals of Neurology suggests that eating meat which has higher cholesterol and saturated fat may increase risk of dementia.

Previous studies found high intake of cholesterol and saturated fat and low intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, which in turn is associated with increased risk of dementia.  

The current study found those who had the highest intake of saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol were 90%, 140% and 70% more likely to develop dementia, respectively, compared with those who had the lowest intake.  The associations were adjusted for age, sex, education, and energy intake.

The study was based on data from 5386 nondemented men and women aged 55 years or older who were followed up for 2.5 years on average.  Dietary information was surveyed at baseline and an average 2.5 years later.

The study also found dementia with a vascular component was most strongly associated with total fat and saturated fat. 

On the other hand, eating fish, which is a source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was inversely correlated with incident dementia, that is, highest intakes of fish were linked to 60% reduced risk of dementia and for Alzheimer's disease, the risk was reduced by 70%.

The study suggests "a high saturated fat and cholesterol intake increases the risk of dementia, whereas fish consumption may decrease this risk." (reporting by David Liu)