Fish consumption and cognitive function in older adults

Abstract

Fish consumption has been reported to lower the risk of cognitive impairment, but results are inconsistent. This study was conducted to investigate the association between fish consumption and cognitive function in Korean older adults. The subjects were 808 older adults aged 60 years and older participating in the Yangpyeong Cohort Study between July 2009 and August 2010. Dietary intake including fish consumption was estimated by using a food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed by Korean version Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE‐KC). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between fish consumption and the risk of cognitive impairment. The mean of fish consumption was 0.57serving per day. The high fish intake group showed higher cognitive function scores than the low fish intake group. Fish consumption was inversely related to the risk of cognitive impairment after adjusting for exercise, supplement, intakes of folate, vitamin B12, fruits and vegetables (5th v. 1st quintile, OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.78, P for trend=0.002). Fish consumption may help in preventing or postponing cognitive impairment in older adults. Further studies are needed to confirm this association in different research settings. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2012R1A1A1041792).