Which Dietary Patterns Affect the Risk of Cognitive Decline?
Four studies presented at the 2017 Alzheimer's Association International Conference examined the association between dietary patterns and cognition.
Neuroprotective Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Better Cognitive Performance in Older US Adults: The Health and Retirement Study
In the study, the researchers assessed the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet and cognitive performance in a cohort of 5907 older adults. They found that participants who had a high adherence to either diet were 30% to 35 % less likely to exhibit poor cognitive function, while participants who had a moderate adherence were 18% less likely to exhibit signs of cognitive impairment.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Study: Grapes May Protect Against Cognitive Decline
Could Regular Tea Consumption Reduce the Risk of Neurocognitive Decline?
Blueberries May Improve Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Which Dietary Index May Predict Preserved Cognitive Function in Nordic Older Adults?
The researchers examined the dietary habits of 2223 adults without dementia in Sweden. They found that even a moderate adherence to the Healthy Nordic Diet was associated with better cognitive function compared with participants who ate less healthy diets during the 6 years of follow-up. In addition, adherence to the Healthy Nordic Diet was found to be a better predictor of preserved cognitive function than the MIND diet, Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, and Baltic Sea Diet.
The Mind Diet and Incident Dementia, Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study
Using data from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, the researchers sought to replicate the findings of a 2015 study by examining the association between incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD) among women consuming the MIND diet. The cohort of 7057 women were categorized in quartiles according to their adherence to the diet. In comparison to women in the lowest quartile (1st), participants in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles had a reduced risk of developing AD by 24%, 21%, and 34%, respectively.
An Inflammatory Nutrient Pattern Is Associated Both Structural and Cognitive Measures of Brain Aging in the Elderly
Researchers sought to determine whether a high inflammation-related nutrient pattern (INP) impacted cognition among a cohort of 330 older adults without dementia (mean age 79.7 years). The results showed that participants with a high INP, consisting of a high intake of cholesterol, beta-carotene and lutein, and a low intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, calcium, folate, and vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, D, and E, had higher levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, smaller total brain gray matter volume, and performed poorly on executive function tests.
Overall, the findings from the 4 studies support the association between dietary intake and cognitive function.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Healthy eating habits may preserve cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia [press release]. London, UK: Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2017; July 17, 2017. http://www.alz.org/aaic/releases_2017/AAIC17-Mon-Diet-Release.asp. Accessed July 18, 2017.