Abstract
Dietary patterns, or the combination of foods and beverages intake, have been associated with better cognitive function in older persons. To date, no study has investigated the link between a posteriori nutrient patterns based on food intake, and cognitive decline in longitudinal analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutrient patterns and cognitive function and decline in two longitudinal cohorts of older persons from France and Canada. The study sample was composed of participants from the Three-City study (3C, France) and the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging (NuAge, Quebec, Canada). Both studies estimated nutritional intakes at baseline, and carried out repeated measures of global cognitive function for 1,388 and 1,439 individuals, respectively. Nutrient patterns were determined using principal component analysis methodology in the two samples, and their relation with cognitive function and decline was estimated using linear mixed models. In 3C, a healthy nutrient pattern, characterized by higher intakes of plant-based foods, was associated with a higher global cognitive function at baseline, as opposed to a Western nutrient pattern, which was associated with lower cognitive performance. In NuAge, we also found a healthy nutrient pattern and a Western pattern, although no association was observed with either of these patterns in the Canadian cohort. No association between any of the nutrient patterns and cognitive decline was observed in either cohort. There is a need for longitudinal cohorts focusing on nutrient patterns with substantial follow-up, in order to evaluate more accurately associations between nutrition and cognition in older persons.
Highlights
In aging societies, concern for cognitive health is on the rise
In 3C, 1712 participants had complete dietary intake data and 1597 of them were evaluated for cognitive function at baseline; 73 were excluded because they had been diagnosed with dementia
< 0.001), had a lower level of education (29.5% were in the lowest level of education vs. 9.4%, p for χ2 < 0.001), and a lower global cognitive function, but showed no difference in the distribution by sex
Summary
In the absence of an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), identification of modifiable risk factors that could delay or prevent its symptomatic stage has become a public health research priority [1,2]. The symptomatic stage of AD, including the loss of cognitive function, represents a burden for those who suffer this disease, and for their caregivers [3]. Diet has been suggested to play a role in maintaining the integrity of cognitive function, but results from experimental and epidemiological studies based on a single nutrient approach are mixed [4]. A recent literature review reported that the evidence of a beneficial effect on cognitive outcomes was more convincing for healthy dietary patterns than for single foods or nutrients [6]
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