New publications
Butter and meat are the most harmful foods for women
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Eating too much red meat and butter may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
This is the conclusion reached by American scientists from Harvard University.
Researchers have found that foods containing large amounts of saturated fats are dangerous to health. Thus, older women who relied on such foods had worse memory overall than their peers who avoided saturated fats. And the best memory was noted in those women who actively consumed monounsaturated fats, contained in olive and sunflower oil, seeds, nuts and avocados.
"When you look at changes in cognitive function, the total amount of fat doesn't matter for memory," says Dr. Olivia Okereke of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "But the type of fat is what matters. Saturated fats are definitely bad for memory, monounsaturated fats are very good!"
In the study, more than 6,000 women over 65 took memory tests periodically over four years. They also provided detailed information about their diet and lifestyle.
It should be noted that the presence of memory problems is an alarm bell, warning about the danger of developing Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in the elderly. However, memory loss does not always lead to this incurable disease.
The study's findings were published in the Annals of Neurology journal. They came shortly after another group of scientists demonstrated a link between the risk of Alzheimer's disease and high cholesterol.
[