Consuming too much red meat can increase risks for Alzheimer's because it increases the levels of iron in the brain, according to a research released Thursday.
The study which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease showed that unusually high levels of ferritin, a protein which stores iron, were found in the hippocampus but not in the thalamus of Alzheimer's sufferers.
The researchers studied the two regions of the brains of 31 Alzheimer's patients - the hippocampus which is crucial to memory and is usually damaged early on at the onset of the disease. The thalamus was also studied - the part of the brain involved in the sensory perception of motor skills and one that generally remains healthy until the later stages of the disease.
"The increase in iron is occurring together with the tissue damage. We found that the amount of iron is increased in the hippocampus and is associated with tissue damage in patients with Alzheimer's but not in the healthy older individuals, or in the thalamus. So the results suggest that iron accumulation may indeed contribute to the cause of Alzheimer's disease," said professor George Bartzokis, lead author of the study.
"This study suggests that during Alzheimer's, iron could accumulate in the area of the brain that is critical to memory, but it is not clear whether this build-up might be a cause of consequence of the disease," said Dr. Marie Jonson of Alzheimer's Research UK.
More research is currently underway, the Telegraph reported.
