
Nitrates in water and processed foods tied to dementia risk, veggie nitrates may offer protection
A Danish–Australian study followed about 55,000 adults for nearly 27 years and found higher nitrate intake from tap water and processed meats is associated with increased dementia risk, while nitrate from vegetables is linked to a ~10% lower risk. Antioxidants in vegetables may boost beneficial nitric oxide formation and block harmful N-nitrosamines, explaining the opposite effects. The research highlights a first-ever link between drinking-water nitrates and dementia, notes EU groundwater limits of 50 mg/L, and cites UK dementia figures around 900,000 and rising toward 1.4 million by 2040.











