The stark warning comes from scientists who have also discovered that a more “Mediterranean” diet – of fruit, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, legumes and fish – is associated with a significantly reduced risk.
They also found that diets with even lower meat content – like those found in India, Japan, and Nigeria – reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s even further.
Dr William Grant said: “Reducing meat consumption could significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as several cancers, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and chronic kidney disease.”
Speaking from the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Centre in San Francisco, he added: “Mounting evidence from ecological and observational studies, indicates that the Western dietary pattern – especially the large amount of meat – is strongly associated with risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic diseases.
“While the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with about half the risk for Alzheimer’s disease of the Western diet, the traditional diets of countries such as India, Japan, and Nigeria, with very low meat consumption, are associated with an additional 50 per cent reduction in risk of Alzheimer’s.”
In the UK, one person is diagnosed with dementia – caused by such diseases as Alzheimer’s – every three minutes, with the condition costing the economy £23billion every year.
It is the only cause of death still on the rise with 850,000 Britons now suffering from dementia. That figure is estimated to reach one million by 2025.