Time and time again, a healthy diet has been found to be key to a healthy life.
For years, researchers have been showing how dietary tweaks like cutting back on salt or eating more leafy greens could reduce your likelihood of developing dementia.
But a new study, published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has proposed some surprising foods could also play a role in lowering your risk.
The research team found that fats hidden in the likes of red meat, butter, eggs and cooking oils, all of which are components of many people’s breakfasts, could also contribute to a lower risk.
These fats are known as triglycerides and higher levels of these lipids in the blood appear to lessen the risk of the brain condition.
The researchers looked at data from 86,000 adults over the age of 65, who didn’t have dementia at the start of the study.
After 12.5 years, 2,778 of the study subjects went on to develop the condition.
The findings revealed that higher triglyceride levels in the “normal to high-normal range” were linked to a lower risk of dementia.
Surprisingly, every doubling of triglyceride levels was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of developing dementia.
Dr Zhen Zhou, of Monash University in Melbourne, said: “Higher triglyceride levels may be reflective of better health and lifestyle behaviours that would protect against dementia.
“Our findings suggest that triglyceride levels may serve as a useful predictor for dementia risk and cognitive decline in older populations.”
While high triglyceride levels may be linked to a lower dementia risk, the fats spell trouble for other aspects of your health.
According to the NHS, very high triglyceride levels can hike your risk of heart disease, blood clots and pancreatitis.
Dr Zhou added: “Future studies are needed to investigate whether specific components within triglycerides may promote better cognitive function. These could help with developing new preventive strategies.”