P4-076: Dietary patterns during early adult life associated with Alzheimer's disease: A population based-study (BERCAL)

Abstract

Dietary pattern analysis has emerged as a possible approach to examining diet-disease relations in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In contrast with the conventional approach, which focuses on a single nutrient or a few nutrients or foods, this approach considers overall eating patterns. We examined the dietary patterns determined by factor analysis of dietary data collected with a food-frequency questionnaire in people with Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls. Diet data were obtained as part of a population based study of the prevalence of AD in Poland (Lublin district – 2 million inhabitants). Stratified sampling and random selection strategies were combined to obtain a representative population for screening (ages >55 in a sample of 2100 persons). From the screened population, 71 persons were diagnosed with AD; the same number of healthy, age and gender matched (F/M 42/29) controls was selected. The two groups did not differ with respect to other chronic diseases. A food frequency questionnaire with 35 food groups representative of this population's diets was developed. Caregivers of AD patients and healthy controls were interviewed to obtain diet histories and food frequencies of foods consumed during early adult life. Factor analysis (principal component) was used to derive food patterns. The factors were rotated by an orthogonal transformation (Varimax rotation) to achieve simpler structure with greater interpretability. Factor scores for each pattern were then obtained for each subject using composite scores of variables that loaded highly on each factor. We identified two major eating patterns: 1) High carbohydrate and fat, and 2) Low fat and vegetables. The early adult life pattern for AD patients was characterized by greater intakes of cakes, potatoes, white breads, eggs, processed meats, sugar, pork and cheese. The patterns for healthy controls included greater intakes of soups, poultry, fish, dark breads, potatoes, vegetables and yogurt. Dietary patterns during early adult life may be a risk factor for AD. This small study indicates early life dietary patterns as defined by factor analysis with data from a food frequency questionnaire as characteristic for Alzheimer's disease in a population of Poland.