Abstract MP26: Mediterranean Diet And Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measures In Young And Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Accumulative evidence has suggested that higher adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, such as Mediterranean diet (MeDi), is associated with preservation of brain structure and less cerebrovascular events. Little is known for these associations across lifespan. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that MeDi was associated with brain atrophy or small vessel pathology measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a cohort of healthy adults aged 20-80. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 375 healthy, non-demented adults recruited from market mailing within a 50-mile radius of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. The participants age ranged 20-80 years old (mean 55, SD=16); had on average 16 (SD=2.3) years of education; 210 (56%) were females; 67% were Whites, 20% African-Americans, and 13% others. MeDi score (range 0-9) was calculated based on food consumption information collected through food-frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) were derived from high-resolution structural MRI scans. We examined the association of MeDi with TBV (milliliter, adjusted for intracranial volume) and WMH (milliliter, log transformed) using regression models adjusted for age, gender, race, education, and total caloric intake. Stratified analyses were performed among young (20-45), mid-age (46-65), and older (65-80) adults. Results: In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, one unit increase in MeDi score, indicating consumption of one more food meeting the desirable level, was associated with larger TBV (β=2.79, p=0.027) and of less WMH (β= -0.058, p=0.041), corresponding to roughly 1.8 years and 1.3 years of less aging (β=-1.54 for age on TBV and 0.044 for age on WMH), respectively. Furthermore, we found the association between MeDi and TBV was similar across age groups, while the association between MeDi and WMH was only significant in the young adults (b=-0.189, p=0.002). Conclusions: Higher MeDi adherence was associated with healthier brain, indicated by larger brain volumes and less white matter lesion burden. These findings suggest that following a healthy diet may help maintain brain health across life span. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relation of MeDi adherence to brain measures in healthy adults of all ages. The novel findings, especially the finding of MeDi and WMH in young adults, are worth of further confirmation in larger and longitudinal studies.