For years, cutting back on red meat has been seen as a smart health move, but new research has added a surprising twist. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that eating more meat may actually be linked to a lower risk of dementia, but only for certain people. However, the key detail comes down to genetics. Researchers found that people with certain Alzheimer's gene variants who ate less meat had more than twice the risk of dementia compared to those who ate more. For people without this genetic risk, however, meat intake didn't seem to make a difference. So why the connection? “APOE4 is the evolutionarily oldest variant of the APOE gene and may have arisen during a period when our evolutionary ancestors ate a more animal-based diet,” researcher in the Department of Neurobiology at Karolinska Institutet, Jakob Norgren explains. Still, experts urge caution. While unprocessed meats like chicken, fish, and lean beef may play a role, processed meats have been linked to increased dementia risk.