Abstract
Dietary carotenoids, plant pigments with anti-oxidant properties, accumulate in neural tissue and are often found in lower concentrations among individuals with obesity. Given previous evidence of negative associations between excess adiposity and memory, it is possible that greater carotenoid status may confer neuroprotective effects among persons with overweight or obesity. This study aimed to elucidate relationships between carotenoids assessed in diet, serum, and the macula (macular pigment optical density (MPOD)) and relational memory among adults who are overweight or obese. Adults aged 25–45 years (N = 94) completed a spatial reconstruction task. Task performance was evaluated for accuracy of item placement during reconstruction relative to the location of the item during the study phase. Dietary carotenoids were assessed using 7-day diet records. Serum carotenoids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between carotenoids and task performance. Although initial correlations indicated that dietary lutein, beta-carotene, and serum beta-carotene were positively associated with memory performance, these relationships were not sustained following adjustment for age, sex, and BMI. Serum lutein remained positively associated with accuracy in object binding and inversely related to misplacement error after controlling for covariates. Macular carotenoids were not related to memory performance. Findings from this study indicate that among the carotenoids evaluated, lutein may play an important role in hippocampal function among adults who are overweight or obese.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity are conditions that increase metabolic risk and are characterized by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 [1]
The present work examined the relationship between carotenoids in the macula, diet, and serum, and their relationship with hippocampal-dependent relational memory performance
The results indicated that higher serum, but not macular, lutein concentrations were positively associated with greater relational memory performance on a spatial reconstruction task
Summary
Overweight and obesity are conditions that increase metabolic risk and are characterized by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 [1]. Obesity can lead to a variety of metabolic and Nutrients 2019, 11, 768; doi:10.3390/nu11040768 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. In addition to the cardiometabolic concerns that accompany obesity, excess fat mass or adiposity, as well as the associated metabolic complications, have been associated with poorer cognitive function and brain structure [2]. One specific brain region thought to be affected by obesity and other associated disorders is the hippocampus [2,3,4]. The hippocampus is a highly plastic region of the brain, which may explain why hippocampal-dependent memory function can be susceptible to behavior modulation through environmental factors [5,6]
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