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meat eating & dementia
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| 'Subjects
who ate meat were more than twice as likely to become demented as their
vegetarian counterparts'
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AGE
CONCERN FOR MEAT EATERS
AS NEW STUDY SUGGESTS LINKS BETWEEN MEAT-EATING AND SENILE DEMENTIA from The Vegetarian Spring/Summer 1994 Meat-eaters may be more than twice as likely to develop senile dementia as their vegetarian counterparts, according to the findings of a study conducted at California's Loma Linda University Dementia is widely recognised as a major medical, social and economic problem in developed countries where the over 65s account for an increasingly high percentage of the population. In the UK, around 20 per cent of the total population are aged over 65. Some five to seven per cent of the over 65s are estimated to suffer moderate or severe dementia; while mild, early and borderline demented states affect 10 to 50 per cent. Research has suggested a link between diet and dementia; and it is possible Alzheimer's Disease and the similar Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) may involve an infectious component which is spread by an infectious mechanism. Researchers from the Department of Preventative Medicine at Loma Linda University investigated the relationship between animal product consumption and evidence of dementia in two cohort substudies. The first involved 272 age and postal area matched Californian residents: 68 vegan, 68 lacto-ovo-vegetarian and 136 meat-eaters (described as 'heavy' meat-eaters, consuming meat more than four times weekly). The second substudy included 2,984 unmatched subjects residing within the Loma Linda area. All participants were enrolled in the Adventist Health Study. In the matched substudy, it was found subjects who ate meat were more than twice as likely to become demented as their vegetarian counterparts and this increased to three times as likely when past meat consumption was taken into account. No difference was observed between the lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans. The unmatched substudy found no significant difference in the incidence of dementia in meat-eaters and vegetarians. It is suggested that this was due to the unmatched study being unable to detect the effects of 'heavy' meat consumption. this in turn suggests it is possible that there is minimal or no difference between the incidence of dementia in vegetarians and occasional meat-eaters (less than four times/week). Delayed onset of dementia in vegetarians was detectable in both substudies. In the unmatched substudy only one person who had been vegetarian for 30 years developed probable dementia before the age of 75, whereas nine meat-eaters did. A similar trend was observed in the matched substudy. The hypothesis that animal-product consumption may be linked to senile dementia has previously been proposed by Alzheimer's researchers. The findings from this preliminary study support their views and indicates further research is warranted. Giem, P. et al (1993) The incidence of dementia and intake of animal products: preliminary findings from the Adventist Health Study. Neuroepidemiology v. 11 p.28-36
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