Abstract
Cognitive function is not generally associated with diet, and there is debate over that association. Moreover, little is known about such associations with the specific cognitive domains and subtypes of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We analyzed data of 4309 Chinese adults aged 55 and over from the Community-based Cohort Study on Nervous System Diseases from 2018–2019. Dietary habits were assessed at inclusion using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function of the participants was measured by using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Analyses were performed using multiple logistic regression and quantile regression with adjustment for socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors. Compared with normal cognition participants, those with a worse cognition state were characterized as being an older age and lower economic level. After adjustment for potential factors, participants with higher consumption of rice, legumes, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, pork, poultry, fish, and nuts tended to have higher scores of global cognitive function and domains, and to have lower odds of MCI, while those with higher consumption levels of wheat and eggs had worse cognition, compared with the corresponding bottom consumption level of each food. Participants with a medium consumption level of beef or mutton had 57% (OR: 1.57, 95%CI: 1.07–2.32) higher odds of aMCI-SD, whereas they had 50% (OR: 0.50, 95%CI: 0.34–0.73) lower odds of naMCI-MD. Similarly, the highest consumption level of dairy was positively associated with the odds of aMCI-SD (OR:1.51, 95%CI:1.00–2.29), but inversely linked to the odds of naMCI-SD (OR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.38–0.93) and naMCI-MD (OR: 0.49, 95%CI: 0.29–0.82). Most diet global cognitive benefits were observed to be associated with the preexisting higher consumption of rice, legumes, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, meat, and nuts. In addition, the heterogeneity of associations between the consumption of certain foods and MCI subtypes was observed among Chinese adults aged over 55 years. These cross-sectional observations require validation in prospective studies.
Highlights
Age-related diseases have gradually imposed a heavy burden on public health worldwide, of which dementia is a primary concern, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with increases in the proportion of the aging population in both developed and developing countries [1]
The effect of the consumption of these vegetables and fruits on cognition function have been summarized in a systematic review of nine cohort studies, indicating that high consumption of vegetables was associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older age, but not fruit consumption [9]
Data in the present study were derived from the baseline of the Community-based Cohort Study on Nervous System Diseases (CCSNSD), an ongoing and longitudinal study established from 2018–2019 by the National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which focused on the potential factors associated with risks of three nervous diseases, including epilepsy for subjects aged >1 year, and AD and Parkinson’s disease for the population aged ≥55 years old
Summary
Age-related diseases have gradually imposed a heavy burden on public health worldwide, of which dementia is a primary concern, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with increases in the proportion of the aging population in both developed and developing countries [1]. The effect of the consumption of these vegetables and fruits on cognition function have been summarized in a systematic review of nine cohort studies, indicating that high consumption of vegetables was associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older age, but not fruit consumption [9]. There are abundant studies on analytically combined fruit and vegetable consumption showing that fruit and vegetable intakes [10,11,12] and, in addition, berry intake [13], have been associated with better cognitive outcomes. Intervention studies have shown positive findings in relation to fruit and cognition. The increased consumption of fish or nuts was observed to reduce the risk of MCI [7,15,16], benefiting cognitive abilities
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