Dietary Factors and Cognitive Decline

Abstract

Cognitive decline is an increasingly important public health problem, with more than 100 million adults worldwide projected to develop dementia by 2050. Accordingly, there has been an increased interest in preventive strategies that diminish this risk. It has been recognized that lifestyle factors including dietary patterns, may be important in the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia in later life. Several dietary components have been examined, including antioxidants, fatty acids, and B vitamins. In addition, whole dietary eating plans, including the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, with and without weight loss, have become areas of increasing interest. Although prospective epidemiological studies have observed that antioxidants, fatty acids, and B vitamins are associated with better cognitive functioning, randomized clinical trials have generally failed to confirm the value of any specific dietary component in improving neurocognition. Several randomized trials have examined the impact of changing ‘whole’ diets on cognitive outcomes. The MeDi and DASH diets offer promising preliminary results, but data are limited and more research in this area is needed.

Healthy Lifestyle and Cognition: Interaction between Diet and Physical Activity

“…Many studies have examined the role of specific nutrients and food groups on cognitive function. A review of each nutrient and food is beyond the scope of this review; thus, we refer the reader to excellent prior reviews on this topic (i.e., omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) [6], B-vitamins [7], antioxidants [8], and food groups such as fish, grains and cereals, alcohol, and meats [9••]). Because of the possible additive, synergistic, and antagonist effects of nutrients, this review focuses on specific dietary patterns that may influence cognitive function.…”

Nutritional Risk Status, Dietary Intake and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults With Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome

“…Several nutritional components and food groups, including antioxidants, B vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids have consistently been linked to better cognitive outcomes and the preservation of cognition later in life (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). We found that higher intakes of B-complex vitamins were associated with better scores on tests of task switching and processing speed.…”

“…of vitamin E, vitamin C, caffeine, flavonoids, B vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids are more likely to experience better cognitive outcomes later in life (11,14,15). Diets high in saturated fatty acids, total fat, total calories and low in vitamin D have been linked to higher frequencies of cognitive impairment (11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

“…of vitamin E, vitamin C, caffeine, flavonoids, B vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids are more likely to experience better cognitive outcomes later in life (11,14,15). Diets high in saturated fatty acids, total fat, total calories and low in vitamin D have been linked to higher frequencies of cognitive impairment (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). However, to date, no study has quantified nutritional status, diet quality or the potential relationships between individual nutritional components and cognition in older adults with MCR.…”

“…After an expansive review of the literature, individual nutritional components that have protective and harmful effects on cognition were selected á priori (13,14). Nutritional components shown to be protective against cognitive decline selected for this analysis include: vitamin E, vitamin C, caffeine, flavonoids, vitamin D, B-complex vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids (13,14). Nutritional components shown to have harmful effects on cognition selected for this analysis were saturated fatty acids and total energy intake, measured in kilocalories (14).…”