Higher Meat Intake Linked to Better Cognitive Outcomes in APOE4 Carriers
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Higher meat consumption was associated with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk—but only in individuals with APOE ε4 genotypes.
- No cognitive or dementia benefit was observed in individuals without APOE ε4.
- Greater intake of processed meat relative to total meat was associated with worse outcomes regardless of genotype.
Higher meat consumption was associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced dementia risk among older adults with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotypes, according to a large longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Network Open. Individuals without the genetic risk variant did not demonstrate a relationship between cognitive outcomes and meat intake. The findings suggest that dietary associations with cognitive health may differ by genetic profile, with potential implications for more individualized approaches to dementia prevention.
Investigators analyzed data from 2157 adults aged 60 years or older without dementia at baseline in the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care–Kungsholmen, followed for up to 15 years. Meat intake was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires and analyzed as total consumption and composition (eg, processed vs unprocessed). Outcomes included longitudinal changes in global cognition (z-score trajectories) and incident dementia, with analyses stratified by APOE genotype. Approximately 26% of participants carried APOE ε3/ε4 or ε4/ε4 genotypes.
Key Findings
- Among APOE ε3/ε4 or ε4/ε4 carriers, higher meat intake (top vs bottom quintile) was associated with slower cognitive decline (β, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.56; P=.01) and lower dementia risk (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR], 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.95; P=.04).
- No significant associations were observed among noncarriers for cognitive trajectory (β, −0.11; 95% CI, −0.27 to 0.06) or dementia risk (sHR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.57 to 1.61).
- A higher ratio of processed to total meat was associated with increased dementia risk (sHR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.29) and less favorable cognitive trajectories.
The authors noted that observational design and reliance on self-reported diet limit causal inference, and the predominantly Northern European population may affect generalizability. However, the consistent genotype-specific associations across cognitive and dementia outcomes support further investigation into gene–diet interactions in cognitive aging.
Source
Norgren J, Carballo-Casla A, Grande G, et al. Meat Consumption and Cognitive Health by APOE Genotype. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(3):e266489. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.6489