Anaemia may be linked to increased dementia risk

"Iron-rich foods such as steak…could cut the risk of dementia in later life, say researchers" is the misleading claim in the Daily Mail. The Daily Telegraph follows suit, stating that scientists claim we should "Eat steak to reduce risk of dementia". But the cohort study that both papers seized on did not actually look directly at diet. The study followed more than 2,550 older adults for over a decade and found that those who had anaemia at the start of the study were more likely to go on to develop dementia. Anaemia is caused by reduced levels of either red blood cells or the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells called haemoglobin, and has a wide range of potential causes. As well as diet-related causes, stomach ulcers, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease or, in some cases, a general poor state of health are all associated with anaemia. Both papers' reporting and narrow focus on diet is based on a simplistic view of anaemia and is not supported by the study's results. Overall, this study does suggest a link between anaemia, general poor health and dementia. But whether anaemia directly causes an increase in dementia risk is difficult to tease out.  More studies are therefore needed to determine whether a preventative strategy that just targets anaemia could effectively reduce the risk of dementia, or whether a more wide-ranging strategy is needed.   Where did the story come from? The study was carried out by researchers fr...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Lifestyle/exercise Neurology Older people Source Type: news