Nutrients, age and cognitive function

Abstract

Many nutrients or indices of nutritional status are associated with cognitive functioning, although the size of the effects on cognitive performance may be small. Results from recent studies, however, seem consistently to indicate that supplementation with beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol, substances that promote antioxidant vitamins A and E, respectively, can be beneficial to cognitive function in elderly people. Folate rather than vitamin B12 appears to be associated with cognitive functioning. Furthermore the daily intake of ginkgo biloba extract can enhance cognitive performance and has been proved to delay cognitive decline in dementia. A proper dietary composition with regard to the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins, as well as the inclusion of sufficient micronutrients, seems to be favourable in the maintenance of cognitive function in the elderly. Glucose can enhance cognitive function, but a rapid decline of glucose levels may impair cognitive function or may induce feelings of lack of energy. Low doses of caffeine may also enhance cognitive function, although most studies on caffeine and cognition, as with studies on glucose and cognition, have not been carried out in elderly individuals. The effects of nutritional supplements are modest but do not seem to be very different from those of medicinal or investigational cognition-enhancing or anti-dementia drugs.

Nutritional status and performance in test of verbal and non-verbal intelligence in 6 year old children

“…Pollitt, Mueller, and Leibel (1982) reported that indicators of iron status (hemoglobin, serum iron and transferrin saturation), anthropometrical measurements (weight/height) and maternal education level were associated with IQ in healthy children. A relationship between plasma folate concentration and memory deterioration in adults has been suggested (Riedel & Jorissen, 1998). Kleinman et al (2002) observed in 97 American school children that those with an intake with 2 nutrients below 50% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) had significantly worse grades in reading, mathematics, history, geography and science compared with children whose nutrient RDAs were met.…”

Dietary Protein, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia

“…Conversely, other studies as summarized by Riedel and Jorissen, did not investigate tryptophan supplementation, but reported on the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD). ATD has been shown to impair different cognitive domains in healthy young individuals as well as elderly persons and AD patients [50]. As serotonin/5-HT activity is reported to decline with aging [39], examining the effects of increased serotonin on cognitive functioning indeed merits further research in older subjects.…”

The Relations Between the Vitamins and Alzheimer Dementia

“…Deficiencies of several B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niasin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12), have been related with cognitive dysfunction in many observational study (Riedel et al, 1998). In some studies, pathophysiological models have been formulated, including the association of B vitamin deficiencies with metabolic disturbances in the structural constituents of cerebral tissue, such as phospholipids and myelin, as well as in signaling molecules, such as neurotransmitters (Rampersaud et al, 2003).…”