Background:
Dietary lipids (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3) PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) seem to play an important role for brain health. (n-3) PUFAs have been shown to improve cerebral perfusion and to promote synaptogenesis. In this study, we investigated the relationship between dietary fat composition, cognitive performance and brain morphology in cognitively healthy individuals.
Methods:
101 cognitively healthy participants (age: 42.3 ± 21.3 years, 62 females) were included into this study. Verbal memory was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Intake of (n-3) PUFA and SFA was calculated from food frequency questionnaire derived data (EPIC-FFQ). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained (Siemens Trio 3T scanner) and grey matter volumes assessed by voxel based morphometry (VBM/SPM8). We examined the association of SFA/(n-3) PUFA ratio and memory performance as well as grey matter volumes using regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, APOE status and alcohol consumption. For VBM data, a multiple regression analysis was performed using the same covariates as mentioned before with intracranial volume as additional covariate.
Results:
A high SFA/(n-3) PUFA-ratio was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with poorer verbal memory performance and with lower grey matter volume in areas of left prefrontal cortex that support memory processes.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids is likely to exert favorable effects on brain morphology in brain areas important for memory and executive functions. This could constitute a possible mechanism for maintaining cognitive health in older age.
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