Abstract
(1) Background: Nutrition is a major lifestyle factor that can prevent the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Diet-induced metabolic endotoxemia has been proposed as a major root cause of inflammation and these pathways emerge as detrimental factors of healthy ageing. The aim of this paper was to update research focusing on the relationship between a fat-rich diet and endotoxemia, and to discuss the potential role of endotoxemia in cognitive performances. (2) Methods: We conducted a non-systematic literature review based on the PubMed database related to fat-rich meals, metabolic endotoxemia and cognitive disorders including dementia in humans. A total of 40 articles out of 942 in the first screening met the inclusion criteria. (3) Results: Evidence suggested that a fat-rich diet, depending on its quality, quantity and concomitant healthy food components, could influence metabolic endotoxemia. Since only heterogeneous cross-sectional studies are available, it remains unclear to what extent endotoxemia could be associated or not with cognitive disorders and dementia. (4) Conclusions: A fat-rich diet has the capability to provide significant increases in circulating endotoxins, which highlights nutritional strategies as a promising area for future research on inflammatory-associated diseases. The role of endotoxemia in cognitive disorders and dementia remains unclear and deserves further investigation.
Highlights
IntroductionAs a consequence of the ageing population, the prevalence of dementia, characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive performances in multiple domains (i.e., memory, reasoning, judgement and ability to perform daily activities) that evolves into a pathological diagnosis, is increasing [1]
As a consequence of the ageing population, the prevalence of dementia, characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive performances in multiple domains that evolves into a pathological diagnosis, is increasing [1]
The role of dietary fats is of growing interest among macronutrients in many studies on the link between nutrition and metabolic endotoxemia
Summary
As a consequence of the ageing population, the prevalence of dementia, characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive performances in multiple domains (i.e., memory, reasoning, judgement and ability to perform daily activities) that evolves into a pathological diagnosis, is increasing [1]. The aetiology of dementia is multi-factorial and consists of a dynamic interaction between genetic susceptibility, non-modifiable factors (i.e., age and sex), pathological processes and environmental factors, some of them being potentially preventable [2,3]. The Western diet, characterized among other factors by a high intake of saturated and trans fatty acids, has been associated with an increased risk of developing dementia [5,7]. Adopting this fat-rich dietary pattern can lead to metabolic disorders such as obesity or Type 2 Diabetes
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