FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals with APOE genotypes ε3/ε4 and ε4/ε4 (APOE34/44), higher meat consumption is associated with better cognitive trajectories and lower dementia risk, according to a study published online March 19 in JAMA Network Open.
Jakob Norgren, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study using panel data analyses during 15 years of follow-up to examine whether higher meat consumption is associated with cognitive health benefits in individuals with APOE34/44.
Overall, longitudinal cognition data were available for 1,680 of 2,157 older adults without dementia; 569 (26.4 percent) had APOE34/44 genotypes. The researchers found that 296 participants developed dementia during follow-up and 690 died without dementia. Higher total meat consumption (top versus bottom quintile) was associated with better cognitive trajectories (β = 0.32) and reduced dementia risk (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.45) among participants with APOE34/44 genotypes. For participants with APOE22/23/24/33 genotypes, no associations were observed. Dementia risk and cognitive decline were similar between APOE strata in the top quintile of meat consumption. There was an unfavorable association between a higher ratio of processed to total meat and dementia (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.14), showing no interaction with APOE; no substantial difference was seen between unprocessed red meat and poultry. Concordant APOE interaction was suggested for all-cause mortality in post-hoc analyses (unprocessed meat exposure, APOE34/44: hazard ratio, 0.85).
"Those who ate more meat overall had significantly slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia, but only if they had the APOE 3/4 or 4/4 gene variants," Norgen said in statement.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.