Abstract
BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and due to various physiological and psychological factors the patients are at risk of nutritional insufficiencies. The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary fatty acid intake and its effect on plasma fatty acids in elderly Saudi women and to compare the differences in their food and plasma fatty acid profile on the basis of their residence.MethodsA total of 76 elderly women (50–100 years) were recruited through a random sampling method. A structured proforma was designed to gather information related to their age, income, dietary habits, and presence of any disease and awareness of AD. A 24-h dietary recall method for 3 days and food frequency questionnaire, concentrating on fish consumption and consumption of foods rich in ω-3 fatty acids, which was planned by dietitians, was used for dietary assessment. The gathered data were then analyzed using food processor software. The blood samples were collected to determine plasma fatty acids.ResultsThe mean age of women diagnosed with AD was more than 75 years, and the prevalence of illiteracy was higher among AD subjects. As compared to the AD group, the concentration of LA and total ω-6 was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in the control group from both recruitment sites [National Guard Health Affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh (NGH) and Social Welfare Homes for the Elderly (SWH)]. Similarly, the concentrations of EPA, DHA, and ω-3 were also slightly higher in the control group at both sites, but the difference between the control and AD subjects was only significant (p ≤ 0.05) in subjects from NGH. We found no significant difference in the ω-6/ ω-3 ratio between groups. Also, no significant difference was found in the mean level of the plasma fatty acid when comparing the control and AD groups. The concentration of DHA in controls only and AA, EPA and ω-6 in both control and AD were significant (although weakly) correlated with their respective dietary intakes. No correlations were found between the intake of 18 C precursors (LA and ALA) and plasma levels of their long chain derivatives (AA, EPA, and DHA). Education, income, overall health status and the concentration of various fatty acids from food was higher and better in subjects from SWH than NGH. The lower plasma level indicates lower impaired systemic availability of several nutrients.ConclusionWe found that dietary intervention might play a role in the prevention of AD.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and due to various physiological and psychological factors the patients are at risk of nutritional insufficiencies
Almost 39% of the AD subjects from National Gaurd Health Affairs-King Abdulaziz Medical City (NGH) had both diabetes and blood pressure, and this proportion was 44.44% for the AD subjects from Social Welfare Homes for the Elderly (SWH), both of which are greater than the control group (20% from NGH and 40% from SWH)
This study shows that a large amount of Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ingested came from food items other than fish, such as egg, meat, and oil, which is similar to the findings reported by Eissa et al [69]
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and due to various physiological and psychological factors the patients are at risk of nutritional insufficiencies. The threat of developing AD is rising exponentially with age and is the main cause of dementia and the most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly [3]. The number of AD suffers is expected to reach 106.8 million worldwide by the year 2050. It is a growing public health concern and a major socioeconomic burden [5]. The most common symptoms shown by AD patients include memory loss, along with impairment in reasoning, visual perception, language ability or attention [6]
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