Abstract
Population aging has recently been an important issue as the number of elderly people is growing worldwide every year, and the extension of social security costs is financially costly. The increase in the number of elderly people with cognitive decline is a serious problem related to the aging of populations. Therefore, it is necessary to consider not only physical care but also cognitive patterns in the future care of older adults. Since food contains a variety of bioactive substances, dietary patterns may help improve age-related cognitive decline. However, the relationship between cognitive function and individual food components remains ambiguous as no clear efficacy or mechanism has been confirmed. Against this background, this review summarizes previous reports on the biological process of cognitive decline in the elderly and the relationship between individual compounds in foods and cognitive function, as well as the role of individual components of food in cognitive function, in the following order: lipids, carotenoids, vitamins, phenolic compounds, amino acids, peptides, and proteins. Based on the research presented in this review, a proper diet that preserves cognitive function has the potential to improve age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Hopefully, this review will help to trigger the development of new foods and technologies that improve aging and cognitive functions and extend the healthy life span.
Highlights
All countries worldwide are on the track of a super aging society in the current era
The search was based on key words such as aging, Alzheimer’s disease, amino acid, antioxidants, brain, chemiluminescence high performance liquid chromatography (CL-HPLC), carotenoid, cholesterol, cognitive decline, cognitive function, curcumin, dementia, dietary, elderly people, fatty acid, food, free radical theory, lipid peroxidation, luminol, older adult, oxidation, oxidative stress, Parkinson’s disease, peptide, phenolic compound, phospholipid, plasmalogen, polyphenol, protein, reactive nitrogen species, reactive oxygen species and vitamin
Based on the research presented in this review, a proper diet that preserves cognitive function could improve age-related cognitive decline, AD, and Parkinson’s disease (PD)
Summary
All countries worldwide are on the track of a super aging society in the current era. Japan has the highest ratio of elderly people over 65 years of age globally, as well as the highest life expectancy and healthy life expectancy as reported by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). The importance of the issue of cognitive aging was reported [3], and many studies examined predictors of nursing home placement in the elderly [4]. Preserving cognitive function maintains independence in older adults, resulting in major social and financial benefits. Nutritional research aimed at maintaining healthy cognitive and metabolic functions often focused on individual food components. The association between dietary patterns, cognitive function, and metabolic syndrome was reported in older adults [8]. The relationship between cognitive function and individual food components remains ambiguous, as no clear efficacy or mechanism has been confirmed. This review summarizes previous reports on the biological process of cognitive decline in the elderly and the relationship between individual compounds in foods and cognitive function, and describes the role of individual food components in cognitive function
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