Association between dairy intake and brain glutathione levels in older adults (1018.4)

Abstract

Glutathione (GSH) plays a key role in protecting cells against oxidative stress. A reduction in GSH levels is noted in brain tissue undergoing oxidative stress in health and disease. We investigated the effect of dietary factors, specifically dairy intake, on oxidative stress, using a unique, noninvasive measure of brain GSH levels in older adults. Healthy subjects (n=57; 68 ± 6.1 yrs; BMI = 25 ± 4) whose daily dairy consumption was low (n=20; < 1 serving/day), moderate (n=22; >1,<3) or at recommended levels (15, >3) were recruited. Brain GSH was measured using a specially designed 1H MRSI technique for GSH at 3 T. Dietary intake was assessed with 7‐day food records, entered into NDS‐R. Total dairy servings were correlated with GSH levels in the frontal (Spearman Rs = .37, p = .004) and parietal regions (Rs = .46, p < .001). Correlations were also found between frontal GSH and milk (Rs = .36, p =.006) and between parietal GSH and milk (Rs = .38, p = .004), cheese (Rs = .40, p = .002) and calcium (Rs = .31, p = .022), but were lower than those for total dairy servings. The dairy intake groups did not differ in age, BMI, or fat consumption. Recommended dairy consumers had higher energy, carbohydrate, and protein intake, but these differences did not account for the relationship between dairy servings and GSH. The results suggest that increased dairy intake may be beneficial to brain health in aging via increasing cerebral antioxidant capacity.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Dairy Research Institute