Abstract
BackgroundAfrican Americans (AA) are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than Caucasians (CC). Dietary modification may have the potential to reduce the risk of developing AD.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between Southern and Prudent diet patterns and cognitive performance in individuals at risk for developing AD.DesignCross-sectional observational study.ParticipantsSixty-six cognitively normal AA and CC individuals aged 46–77 years with a parental history of AD were enrolled.MeasurementsParticipants completed a Food Frequency questionnaire, cognitive function testing, which consisted of 8 neuropsychological tests, and cardiovascular risk factor assessments, including evaluation of microvascular and macrovascular function and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.ResultsResults revealed a relationship between the Southern diet and worse cognitive performance among AAs. AAs who consumed pies, mashed potatoes, tea, and sugar drinks showed worse cognitive performance (p<0.05) compared with CCs. In addition, gravy (p=0.06) and cooking oil/fat (p=0.06) showed negative trends with cognitive performance in AAs. In both CC and AA adults, greater adherence to a Prudent dietary pattern was associated with better cognitive outcomes. Cardiovascular results show that participants are overall healthy. AAs and CCs did not differ on any vascular measure including BP, arterial stiffness and endothelial function.ConclusionResearch shows that dietary factors can associate with cognitive outcomes. This preliminary crosssectional study suggests that foods characteristic of the Southern and Prudent diets may have differential effects on cognitive function in middle-aged individuals at high risk for AD. Results suggest that diet could be a non-pharmaceutical tool to reduce cognitive decline in racially diverse populations. It is possible that the increased prevalence of AD in AA could be partially reduced via diet modification.
Highlights
BACKGROUNDAfrican Americans (AA) are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than Caucasians (CC)
While AAs and CCs did not differ on demographics including age, education, exercise, smoking status, or self-reported depression, significant racial differences were present for gender and income, such that a larger percent of AA females than CC females participated in the study, and AAs reported significantly less income compared to CCs
This is the first study to report a relationship between diet and cognitive performance in healthy, racially diverse middle-aged adults with a parental history of AD
Summary
African Americans (AA) are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than Caucasians (CC). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between Southern and Prudent diet patterns and cognitive performance in individuals at risk for developing AD. Individuals at high risk of AD include African Americans (AAs), who have a 64% higher chance of developing AD than Caucasians (CCs) [2], and individuals with a parental history of AD, who are individuals aged 46-77 years with a parental history of AD were ten times more likely to become afflicted themselves enrolled. MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed a Food Frequency questionnaire, cognitive function testing, which consisted of 8 neuropsychological tests, and cardiovascular risk factor assessments, including evaluation of microvascular and macrovascular function and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. RESULTS: Results revealed a relationship between the Southern diet and worse cognitive performance among AAs
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