Fruit and vegetable intake and cognitive decline in middle-aged men and women: the Doetinchem Cohort Study

Abstract

To postpone cognitive decline and dementia in old age, primary prevention is required earlier in life during middle age. Dietary components may be modifiable determinants of mental performance. In the present study, habitual fruit and vegetable intake was studied in association with cognitive function and cognitive decline during middle age. In the Doetinchem Cohort Study, 2613 men and women aged 43-70 years at baseline (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002) were examined for cognitive function twice, with a 5-year time interval. Global cognitive function and the domains memory, information processing speed and cognitive flexibility were assessed. Dietary intake was assessed with a semi-quantitative FFQ. In multivariate linear regression analyses, habitual fruit and vegetable intake was studied in association with baseline and change in cognitive function. Higher reported vegetable intake was associated with lower information processing speed (P¼0·02) and worse cognitive flexibility (P¼ 0·03) at baseline, but with smaller decline in information processing speed (P, 0·01) and global cognitive function (P¼0·02) at follow-up. Total intakes of fruits, legumes and juices were not associated with baseline or change in cognitive function. High intakes of some subgroups of fruits and vegetables (i.e. nuts, cabbage and root vegetables) were associated with better cognitive function at baseline and/or smaller decline in cognitive domains. In conclusion, total intake of fruits and vegetables was not or inconsistently associated with cognitive function and cognitive decline. A high habitual consumption of some specific fruits and vegetables may diminish age-related cognitive decline in middle-aged individuals. Further research is needed to verify these findings before recommendations can be made.

A cross sectional study of the association between walnut consumption and cognitive function among adult us populations represented in NHANES

“…These results are supported by other cross sectional findings in the literature on walnuts and nut consumption in general. In one study on consumption of fruit and vegetable, including nuts, cognitive function was measured by various cognition tests and dietary intake of the subject was assessed through FFQ, and nut intake was categorized by quintiles of absolute amounts consumed (24). The global cognition function and cognitive function specifically on memory, speed and flexibility was measured using the World Verbal Learning Test (VLT) score to measure memory, the Stroop Colour World Test (SCWT) and the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST) to measure cognitive speed.…”

“…The cognitive tests showed that nuts consumers had better memory and cognition speed at the baseline. They reported the difference in cognitive function Volume 19, Number 3, 2015 between the lowest and the highest quintile of nut consumption as equivalent to 5-8 years difference in age (24). Another cross-sectional study on food intake and cognition among elders found that nut consumption was significantly associated with cognitive functioning as measured using six different cognition tests, which included Kendrick Object Learning Test (KOLT), Trail Making Test A (TMT-A), modified version of Digital Symbol Test (m-DST), short form of Block Design (m-BD), modified Mini -Mental State Examination (m-MMSE) and abridged version of Controlled Oral Word Association Test (S-Task) (25).…”

“…The presence of an effect in studies of older individuals, but not among young college students, might reflect a greater vulnerability in older subjects (24) and therefore a greater potential benefit. Our study spanned all adults but was much more heavily geared to older adults.…”

Orthostatic Changes in Blood Pressure and Cognitive Status in the Elderly

“…1,2 Several factors are important for the onset of CI and CD, including female sex and the apolipoprotein Eε4 (apoEε4) genotype. 3,4 Changes in blood pressure (BP) are associated with both CI and CD in older people. 5,6 Hypertension might be implicated in the pathogenesis of poor cognition, 7 and recent studies suggest that hypotension could be a risk factor for CI and CD too.…”

Polyphenols and brain health

“…Over the last decade, a vast and growing research literature has been focusing on the potential of dietary polyphenols for aiding preservation of cognitive function during ageing while reducing risk for neurodegenerative disorders Nurk et al, 2009;Gu et al, 2010;Nooyens et al, 2011;Solfrizzi et al, 2011;Loef and Walach, 2012;Vauzour, 2012). For example, the regular dietary intake of polyphenol-rich foods and/or beverages has been associated with 50% reduction in the risk of dementia (Commenges et al, 2000), a preservation of cognitive performance with ageing (Morris et al, 2006;Letenneur et al, 2007), a delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease (Dai et al, 2006;Pasinetti et al, 2015) and a reduction in the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (Checkoway et al, 2002;Chen et al, 2015).…”