(P14-071-23) Dietary Consumption of Beef and Red Meat: A Systematic Review and Evidence Map on Cognitive Outcomes

Objectives: Mixed evidence exists on the impact of beef consumption on cognition. Here, the goal was to create an evidence map capturing studies assessing beef consumption and cognition to reveal gaps and opportunities in the body of literature.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to locate studies up to March 2022 using PubMed and backwards citation screening. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers with conflict resolution, and a database was created and made publicly available.

Results: 3,748 articles were screened to identify 22 studies that quantified beef or red meat intake and assessed cognition. Six studies assessed beef intake, with the remaining studies describing intake of red meat that may or may not include beef. Nine articles described randomized controlled trials, mostly conducted in children. Thirteen described observational studies, primarily conducted on adults and seniors. The most common cognitive domains measured included intelligence and general cognition, memory, and language and verbal function. The majority of controlled studies were rated with high risk of bias, with the majority of observational trials rated with serious or greater risk of bias.

Conclusions: Beef intake and cognition is largely understudied, with most evidence from a few trials in children. There is a significant lack of replication across study designs, populations, exposures, and outcomes measured. The quality of the research would be considerably enhanced by focused assessments of beef intake (and not red meat in general) and specific cognitive domains, along with improved adherence to reporting standards.

Funding Sources: Traverse Science received funding from the Beef Checkoff to perform the review and write the manuscript.