WEIRD STUFF

Meat diet may cut dementia risk

Eating more meat could help protect against dementia - but only for a specific group of people.

A major study suggests that adults with a higher genetic risk of Alzheimer's may benefit from a meat-rich diet, with slower cognitive decline seen in those who regularly consumed chicken, turkey and beef.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet focused on people carrying variants of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, particularly APOE3/4 and APOE4/4, which are strongly linked to dementia.

Around a quarter of Brits are thought to carry at least one copy of the high-risk APOE4 gene.

The study - published in JAMA Network Open - tracked more than 2,100 over-60s in Sweden for up to 15 years, the team found that those who ate more meat - roughly five or six large portions a week - did not show the same increased dementia risk typically associated with the gene.

In contrast, APOE carriers who ate less meat were more than twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those without the risky variants.

However, not all meat is equal as the study found that a lower intake of processed meats like bacon and sausages was linked to better outcomes, regardless of genetic risk.

Co-author Dr Sara Garcia-Ptacek said reducing processed meat was key, while unprocessed meat appeared to offer potential benefits.

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Drinking wine may help you live longer

Researchers studying 340,000 Brits have found that wine drinkers appear to have a lower risk of dying young compared to those who favour beer, cider or spirits.

The 13-year study, led by experts at Central South University in Changsha, China, suggests your choice of tipple could make a surprising difference to your health.

While heavy drinking is bad news across the board - raising the risk of early death by 24 per cent - the type of alcohol consumed seems to matter when intake is lower.

Even small amounts of beer, cider or spirits were linked to a higher risk of premature death compared to non-drinkers.

Wine, however, stood out from the crowd.

Those who enjoyed a modest glass were found to live longer than both non-drinkers and fans of other alcoholic drinks.

In fact, their risk of dying from heart disease was 21 per cent lower than teetotallers - while beer drinkers saw their risk increase by nine per cent.

Study author Dr Zhangling Chen said: "These findings emphasise that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage.

"Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while low to moderate intake of wine may carry lower risk."