In a study published in the journal Neurology, Dr. Daniel Wang, an assistant professor of medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and his team report that people who eat more processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia over more than four decades that those who consumed minimal amounts.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham found those who ate the most processed red meat, like hot dogs and bacons, had a 13% higher risk of dementia.

Higher intake of red meat, especially processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk for developing dementia and subjective cognitive decline (SCD), according to a study published online Jan.