Meat consumption in midlife and risk of cognitive impairment in old age: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

PURPOSE

Epidemiological studies directly investigating the association between different types of meat intake and cognitive impairment are limited. We, therefore, examined this association in the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

METHODS

In total, 16,948 participants were included in analysis. Diet was measured by a 165-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire at baseline (1993-1998) when participants were 45-74 years. Cognitive impairment was defined using a Singapore modified version of Mini-Mental State Examination during follow-up three visits (2014-2016) when participants were 61-96 years. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Cognitive impairment was present in 2443 (14.4%) participants. Compared to the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of red meat intake was associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.01-1.32, P for trend = 0.009), while the corresponding value for poultry intake was 0.89 (95% CI 0.78-1.02, P for trend = 0.10). Higher fresh fish/shellfish was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77-1.00, P for trend = 0.03), while preserved fish/shellfish intake was associated with a higher risk (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.36, P for trend = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

This study found that a higher intake of red meat in midlife was associated with increased likelihood of cognitive impairment in later life, while substitution of red meat intake with poultry or fresh fish/shellfish was associated with reduced risk.