Antioxidant and B vitamin intake in relation to cognitive function in later life in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies provide some evidence for an association between intake of antioxidants and B vitamins, and cognitive function in later life, but intervention studies have not provided clear evidence of beneficial effects. The possibility that those with higher cognitive ability during earlier adult life consume more nutrient-rich diets in later life could provide an alternative explanation for the associations seen in observational studies. Methods: Survey of 1091 men and women born in 1936 living in Edinburgh, Scotland, in whom previous cognitive ability was available from intelligence quotient (IQ) measurements at age 11 years. At age 70 years, participants carried out a range of cognitive tests and completed a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results: A total of 882 participants returned completed FFQs from which intake of b-carotene, vitamin C, B12, folate and riboflavin was estimated. IQ at age 11 years was positively associated with dietary intake of vitamin C (P ¼ 0.048) and inversely associated with dietary intake of riboflavin (Po0.001) at age 70 years, and was higher in those taking folate supplements at age 70 years (Po0.005). Weak associations between intake of vitamins B12, C, riboflavin and folate and cognitive performance at age 70 years were attenuated by adjustment for confounding variables, including IQ at age 11 years. In the fully adjusted models, the proportion of total variance in cognitive function at age 70 years accounted for by intake of these nutrients was less than 1%. Conclusion: These results provide no evidence for a clinically significant beneficial association between intake of these antioxidants and B vitamins, and cognitive function at age 70 years.

Serum cholesterol and cognitive functions: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

“…However, the (selfselected) LBC1936 consists of relatively healthy, high-functioning men and women, and the empirical outcome of any non-systematic (lowlevel) misreporting is likely to be, at most, a small amount of noise in the data. Moreover, the SCG-FFQ used in the present study, shows good repeatability (dietary intake in later life is reasonably stable in the short term) and validity in communitydwelling older populations compared with four-day diet diaries (Jia et al, 2008;McNeill et al, 2009).…”

Correlat ion of thiamine metabolite levels with cognitive function in the non-demented elderly

“…However, studies on the correlation between thiamine metabolism and cognitive function in the non-demented elderly are insuffi cient and t he results are controversial [13][14][15] .…”

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“…Better cognitive functioning in institutionalized elderly individuals in Madrid, Spain, and lower odds of cognitive decline were associated with adequate intakes of vitamins B 6 , B 12 , and riboflavin (33,45). In contrast, lifelong riboflavin intake in a Scottish cohort was not related to cognitive functioning at age 70 (103).…”