This just in: Hamburgers may be health food.

Scientists at Oxford University in England have found that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet may be bad for your brain.

Researchers found that those who adopt a meat-free diet are 6 times more likely to sustain brain shrinkage than those who gobble hamburgers, chicken or liver.

The reason: Vegetarian or vegan diets are more likely to be deficient in Vitamin B-12, found in meat, fish and dairy products such as cheese.

“Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control, but this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more Vitamin B-12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may...prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory,” said Anna Vogiatzoglou, a member of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford, in a prepared statement. “Research shows that Vitamin B-12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more Vitamin B-12 intake could help reverse this problem.”

Vitamin B-12 deficiency also can cause anemia and troubles with the nervous system, researchers found.

However, the vitamin is found in yeast extracts, one of the few vegetarian foods that provide good levels of B-12.

Researchers at Oxford University established the link between diet and brain size by conducting memory tests, physical exams and brain scans on 107 people aged 61 to 87. The volunteers were retested five years after the initial exam and researchers found those with the lowest levels of Vitamin B-12 were more likely to have suffered brain shrinkage. The tests support earlier research that established a link between brain atrophy and low levels of Vitamin B-12.

Alcohol also hammers the brain. Researchers found that brain scans of more than 1,800 people who had 14 or more drinks a week sustained 1.6% more brain shrinkage than those who didn’t drink at all. Beer does less damage than wine.

Aging hippies who say marijuana is harmless are mistaken. Researchers found that cannabis has the same brain-damaging effect as alcohol unless, like a certain ex-president, you don’t inhale.

Sad to say, too many hamburgers aren’t good for you, either. Swedish researches found that being overweight or obese is also linked to brain loss. Obesity increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease and both can lead to brain damage.

So, in the spirit of moderation, pass the hamburgers from McDonalds (MCD), Burger King (BKC) or Wendy’s (WEN) over here. Order extra cheese and become a member of the Mensa Society!