A new scientific review finds that eating as little as one to two slices of deli meat daily is associated with a substantially elevated risk of dementia, adding to mounting concerns about ultra-processed foods and long-term brain health.
The review, published in the August 2026 issue of Annual Review of Nutrition, examined dozens of human and animal studies, including a UK study of nearly 500,000 people. That research found that each additional 25 grams of processed meat eaten daily — roughly one to two slices of deli meat — corresponded with a 44% higher risk of all-cause dementia and a 52% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease specifically.
The review was compiled by an international team of 27 researchers who examined whether diets heavy in ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, contribute to brain aging over time. UPFs include sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and other industrially manufactured foods containing emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial colors.
Lead author Owen Carmichael, Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital the findings point to gaps in how food safety is regulated before products reach consumers.
“The main takeaway for consumers is that it is very easy to get food items into the food supply without really understanding what kinds of effects they have on health, including the health of the brain,” Carmichael said.
Carmichael noted that some UPFs are so heavily engineered that they “look like pharmaceuticals,” yet face far less regulatory scrutiny.
“Yet they don’t face anywhere near the scrutiny pharmaceuticals face when trying to get on the market,” he said. “When it comes to food safety, we sort of shoot first and ask questions later.”
Researchers are weighing two leading explanations for the link between UPFs and brain health, according to Carmichael. One is that these foods damage heart and blood vessel function, which in turn affects the brain — summed up by his phrase “healthy heart, healthy mind.” He said UPFs are broadly harmful “from the neck down, damaging the heart, blood vessels, muscle, fat [and] liver.” The second theory holds that certain food additives may directly disrupt brain chemistry. Both ideas require further study, he said, and much of the existing evidence still comes from animal research rather than long-term randomized clinical trials in humans.
The review’s authors were careful to note that their findings are observational and cannot prove that processed meats — including deli turkey, ham, salami, bacon, hot dogs, and sausages — directly cause dementia.
Still, the review cited research suggesting that replacing just 10% of daily calories from UPFs with unprocessed foods could lower dementia risk by 19%. Ultra-processed foods currently make up about 55% of the average American’s daily caloric intake, according to the review.
Dr. William Scott Burgin, a vascular neurologist at the University of South Florida and chief medical officer for NeuroEM Therapeutics, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital that the affordability and heavy marketing of UPFs make them especially hard for consumers to avoid.
“UPFs are probably the worst for brain health,” Burgin said.
But Burgin cautioned against treating all ultra-processed foods the same way. He pointed out that some items technically classified as UPFs — such as fortified whole grain cereals, yogurt, and packaged breads and grain products — may be neutral or even beneficial. He also emphasized that most of the supporting evidence comes from observational studies rather than controlled dietary trials.
“All that being said, while I encourage people to reduce their consumption of UPFs, a cookie every now and then is not a problem,” Burgin said.
Burgin recommended diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols, noting some evidence also supports B-vitamin supplementation for brain health.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Meat Institute, headquartered in Virginia, and the American Association of Meat Processors, based in Pennsylvania, for comment on the review’s findings.
