A Brit breakfast favourite has been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, with top scientists saying that steering away from the breakfast classic could cut your risk of developing the disease by up to a fifth. Though it may not be the every day choice for many, bacon is a British breakfast staple - whether it be smoked or unsmoked, back or streaky, in a bap or as part of a full English. But new research has shown that meat can raise our risk of dementia, meaning too many bacon sandwiches could hike up your chances later in life.
According to researchers from Harvard University, ditching the bacon buttie could slash your risk of going on to develop the disease by up to a fifth. But for millions of Brits, the news may not be the easiest to digest as breakfast bacon sandwiches have been crowned the UK's most-loved sandwich.
The researchers believe that chemicals released as red meats, such as bacon, are digested can aid the build up of toxic proteins in the brain, with fat and salt also posing the threat of damage to the health of brain cells. For processed meat, such as bacon and sausages, the danger is even more pronounced.
Harvard researchers drew on data from 134,000 middle-aged Americans, where they found that those who ate the equivalent of two rashers of bacon per day, on average, had a higher risk of developing dementia. They found that those who enjoyed a bit of bacon for breakfast had a 13 per cent higher chance of developing the illness than those whose consumption was "minimal" but not full vegetarians.
