According to her, eating meat that has been additionally processed increases the risk of developing dementia: it has been canned, salted and smoked. The nitrates it contains are necessary for manufacturers to preserve and maintain the attractive appearance of products. When ingested, they are converted into nitrosamines, which can damage neurons and cause inflammation in the human brain. “Even if you eat just two servings of sausages, bacon, salami or other similar foods a week, your risk of dementia increases by 14%,” says the doctor. In addition, each additional serving of processed meat per day adds 1.6 years of cognitive aging.
That’s why, says Pavlova, it’s worth giving up scrambled eggs and bacon and sausage sandwiches for breakfast in favor of, for example, nuts or beans, which have an anti-inflammatory effect and, unlike processed meat, reduce the risk of cognitive decline by 20%.
She added that in addition to dementia, processed meat increases the risk of cancer (especially colorectal), heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
“And remember that well-cooked meat (stewed, baked, boiled, steamed) is a very healthy product and contains many proteins and antioxidants that are easy to digest,” concluded the endocrinologist.
