Trans Fat Can Increase Dementia, Alzheimer's Risk by 50 Percent, Study Says

A study published in Neurology suggests consumption of processed foods heavy in trans fat increases the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's, reports the International Business Times . The researchers found higher levels of trans fat in a person's blood can elevate their chances of developing dementia or Alzheimer's later in life by 52 percent to 74 percent. The team monitored 1,628 Japanese adults 60 and older for a decade, and none had dementia at the start of the study. Each subject's serum elaidic acid levels were measured, and the population was split into four groups, depending on the industrial trans fat levels in their blood. The team found a strong association between consumption of industrialized trans fat and dementia risk, with 377 participants receiving a dementia diagnosis at the end of the follow-up period. "These results give us even more reason to avoid trans fats," said Kyushu University's Toshiharu Ninomiya.