Alain Koyama1, Denise K Houston2, Eleanor M Simonsick3, Jung Sun Lee4, Hilsa N Ayonayon5, Danit R Shahar6, Caterina Rosano7, Suzanne Satterfield8, Kristine Yaffe9. 1. Northern California Institute For Research and Education, San Francisco. San Francisco VA Medical Center, California. akk412@mail.harvard.edu. 2. Sticht Center on Aging, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 3. Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland. 4. University of Georgia, Athens. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco. 6. S. Daniel International Center for Health and Nutrition, Department of Epidemiology and Health Evaluation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. 7. Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 8. University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. 9. San Francisco VA Medical Center, California. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco. Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Results from numerous studies suggest protective effects of the Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality. Evidence for an association with a decreased risk of cognitive decline is less consistent and studies are limited by a lack of diversity in their populations. METHODS: We followed 2,326 older adults (38.2% black, 51.3% female, aged 70-79 at baseline) over 8 years in a prospective cohort study in the United States (Health, Aging and Body Composition study). To measure adherence to a Mediterranean diet, we calculated race-specific tertiles of the MedDiet score (range: 0-55) using baseline food frequency questionnaires. Cognitive decline was assessed using repeated Modified Mini Mental State Examination scores over the study. We used linear mixed models to assess the association between MedDiet score and trajectory of cognitive decline. RESULTS: Among blacks, participants with high MedDiet scores had a significantly lower mean rate of decline on the Modified Mini Mental State Examination score compared with participants with lower MedDiet scores (middle and bottom tertiles). The mean difference in points per year was 0.22 (95% confidence interval: 0.05-0.39; p = .01) after adjustment for age, sex, education, body mass index, current smoking, physical activity, depression, diabetes, total energy intake, and socioeconomic status. No association between MedDiet scores and change in Modified Mini Mental State Examination score was seen among white participants (p = .14). CONCLUSIONS: Stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce the rate of cognitive decline among black, but not white older adults. Further studies in diverse populations are needed to confirm this association and pinpoint mechanisms that may explain these results.
BACKGROUND: Results from numerous studies suggest protective effects of the Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality. Evidence for an association with a decreased risk of cognitive decline is less consistent and studies are limited by a lack of diversity in their populations. METHODS: We followed 2,326 older adults (38.2% black, 51.3% female, aged 70-79 at baseline) over 8 years in a prospective cohort study in the United States (Health, Aging and Body Composition study). To measure adherence to a Mediterranean diet, we calculated race-specific tertiles of the MedDiet score (range: 0-55) using baseline food frequency questionnaires. Cognitive decline was assessed using repeated Modified Mini Mental State Examination scores over the study. We used linear mixed models to assess the association between MedDiet score and trajectory of cognitive decline. RESULTS: Among blacks, participants with high MedDiet scores had a significantly lower mean rate of decline on the Modified Mini Mental State Examination score compared with participants with lower MedDiet scores (middle and bottom tertiles). The mean difference in points per year was 0.22 (95% confidence interval: 0.05-0.39; p = .01) after adjustment for age, sex, education, body mass index, current smoking, physical activity, depression, diabetes, total energy intake, and socioeconomic status. No association between MedDiet scores and change in Modified Mini Mental State Examination score was seen among white participants (p = .14). CONCLUSIONS: Stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce the rate of cognitive decline among black, but not white older adults. Further studies in diverse populations are needed to confirm this association and pinpoint mechanisms that may explain these results.
Authors: Christine C Tangney; Mary J Kwasny; Hong Li; Robert S Wilson; Denis A Evans; Martha Clare Morris Journal: Am J Clin Nutr Date: 2010-12-22 Impact factor: 7.045
Authors: Rosebud O Roberts; Yonas E Geda; James R Cerhan; David S Knopman; Ruth H Cha; Teresa J H Christianson; V Shane Pankratz; Robert J Ivnik; Bradley F Boeve; Helen M O'Connor; Ronald C Petersen Journal: Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord Date: 2010-05-22 Impact factor: 2.959
Authors: A Trichopoulou; A Kouris-Blazos; M L Wahlqvist; C Gnardellis; P Lagiou; E Polychronopoulos; T Vassilakou; L Lipworth; D Trichopoulos Journal: BMJ Date: 1995-12-02
Authors: Frédéric Calon; Giselle P Lim; Fusheng Yang; Takashi Morihara; Bruce Teter; Oliver Ubeda; Phillippe Rostaing; Antoine Triller; Norman Salem; Karen H Ashe; Sally A Frautschy; Greg M Cole Journal: Neuron Date: 2004-09-02 Impact factor: 17.173
Authors: Ganesh M Babulal; Yakeel T Quiroz; Benedict C Albensi; Eider Arenaza-Urquijo; Arlene J Astell; Claudio Babiloni; Alex Bahar-Fuchs; Joanne Bell; Gene L Bowman; Adam M Brickman; Gaël Chételat; Carrie Ciro; Ann D Cohen; Peggye Dilworth-Anderson; Hiroko H Dodge; Simone Dreux; Steven Edland; Anna Esbensen; Lisbeth Evered; Michael Ewers; Keith N Fargo; Juan Fortea; Hector Gonzalez; Deborah R Gustafson; Elizabeth Head; James A Hendrix; Scott M Hofer; Leigh A Johnson; Roos Jutten; Kerry Kilborn; Krista L Lanctôt; Jennifer J Manly; Ralph N Martins; Michelle M Mielke; Martha Clare Morris; Melissa E Murray; Esther S Oh; Mario A Parra; Robert A Rissman; Catherine M Roe; Octavio A Santos; Nikolaos Scarmeas; Lon S Schneider; Nicole Schupf; Sietske Sikkes; Heather M Snyder; Hamid R Sohrabi; Yaakov Stern; Andre Strydom; Yi Tang; Graciela Muniz Terrera; Charlotte Teunissen; Debora Melo van Lent; Michael Weinborn; Linda Wesselman; Donna M Wilcock; Henrik Zetterberg; Sid E O'Bryant Journal: Alzheimers Dement Date: 2018-12-13 Impact factor: 21.566