Relation of DASH- and Mediterranean-like dietary patterns to cognitive decline in older persons

Objectives: We examined whether accordance to the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) and Mediterranean diets is associated with slower cognitive decline in a prospective Chicago cohort study of older persons, the Memory and Aging Project. Methods: The sample comprised 826 Memory and Aging Project participants (aged 81.5 ± 7.1 years) who completed a 144-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline and 2 or more cognitive assessments over 4.1 years. Dietary scores were computed for accordance to the DASH diet (0–10) and the Mediterranean diet (MedDietScore) (0–55). For both, higher scores reflect greater accordance. Both patterns share at least 3 common food components. Cognitive function was assessed annually with 19 cognitive tests from which global cognitive scores and summary measures are computed. Results: The mean global cognitive score at baseline was 0.12 (range, −3.23 to 1.60) with an overall mean annual change in score of −0.08 standardized units. Only 13 participants had possible dementia. The mean DASH score was 4.1 (range, 1.0–8.5) and the MedDietScore was 31.3 (range, 18–46). In mixed models adjusted for covariates, a 1-unit difference in DASH score was associated with a slower rate of global cognitive decline by 0.007 standardized units (standard error of estimate = 0.003, p = 0.03). Similarly, a 1-unit-higher MedDietScore was associated with a slower rate of global cognitive decline by 0.002 standardized units (standard error of estimate = 0.001, p = 0.01). Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that both the DASH and Mediterranean diet patterns are associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in the same cohort of older persons.

[1]  Marie E. Latulippe,et al.  Criteria for validation and selection of cognitive tests for investigating the effects of foods and nutrients. , 2014, Nutrition reviews.

[2]  M. Daulatzai.  Obesity and Gut's Dysbiosis Promote Neuroinflammation, Cognitive Impairment, and Vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease: New Directions and Therapeutic Implications , 2014 .

[3]  Adele Cutler,et al.  Prospective study of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension- and Mediterranean-style dietary patterns and age-related cognitive change: the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging. , 2013, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[4]  N. Dowling,et al.  Prenatal folic acid and risk of asthma in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. , 2013, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[5]  M. Stefani,et al.  The Polyphenol Oleuropein Aglycone Protects TgCRND8 Mice against Aß Plaque Pathology , 2013, PloS one.

[6]  JoAnn E. Manson,et al.  Mediterranean Diet and Cognitive Function in Older Age , 2013, Epidemiology.

[7]  F. Grodstein,et al.  Long-term adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with overall cognitive status, but not cognitive decline, in women. , 2013, The Journal of nutrition.

[8]  Mikael Fogelholm,et al.  Faculty of 1000 evaluation for Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. , 2013 .

[9]  P. Lin,et al.  Determinants and consequences of adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet in African-American and white adults with high blood pressure: results from the ENCORE trial. , 2012, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

[10]  K. Anstey,et al.  The Mediterranean diet is not related to cognitive change in a large prospective investigation: the PATH Through Life study. , 2012, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[11]  J. Schneider,et al.  Overview and findings from the rush Memory and Aging Project. , 2012, Current Alzheimer research.

[12]  F. Grodstein,et al.  Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline in women with cardiovascular disease or risk factors. , 2012, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

[13]  M. Boada,et al.  LMN diet, rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, improves mouse cognitive decline associated with aging and Alzheimer's disease , 2012, Behavioural Brain Research.

[14]  R. Lamuela-Raventós,et al.  Association between a healthy lifestyle and general obesity and abdominal obesity in an elderly population at high cardiovascular risk. , 2011, Preventive medicine.

[15]  D. Panagiotakos,et al.  The effect of Mediterranean diet on metabolic syndrome and its components: a meta-analysis of 50 studies and 534,906 individuals. , 2011, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

[16]  Denis A. Evans,et al.  Adherence to a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern and cognitive decline in a community population. , 2011, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[17]  P. Gorelick.  Role of inflammation in cognitive impairment: results of observational epidemiological studies and clinical trials , 2010, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[18]  Jeffrey N. Browndyke,et al.  Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet, Exercise, and Caloric Restriction on Neurocognition in Overweight Adults With High Blood Pressure , 2010, Hypertension.

[19]  P. Lin,et al.  Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Alone and in Combination With Exercise and Caloric Restriction on Insulin Sensitivity and Lipids , 2010, Hypertension.

[20]  S. Leurgans,et al.  Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults. , 2009, Archives of internal medicine.

[21]  D. Bennett,et al.  Apolipoprotein E e4 Allele is Associated With More Rapid Motor Decline in Older Persons , 2009, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[22]  R. Lamuela-Raventós,et al.  Inhibition of circulating immune cell activation: a molecular antiinflammatory effect of the Mediterranean diet. , 2009, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[23]  V. Gudnason,et al.  American Journal of Epidemiology Original Contribution Cognitive Impairment: an Increasingly Important Complication of Type 2 Diabetes the Age, Gene/environment Susceptibility–reykjavik Study , 2022 .

[24]  F. Hu,et al.  Adherence to a DASH-style diet and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in women. , 2007, Archives of internal medicine.

[25]  D. Panagiotakos,et al.  Adherence to the Mediterranean food pattern predicts the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and obesity, among healthy adults; the accuracy of the MedDietScore. , 2007, Preventive medicine.

[26]  A. Folsom,et al.  Degree of concordance with DASH diet guidelines and incidence of hypertension and fatal cardiovascular disease. , 2007, American journal of hypertension.

[27]  D. Evans,et al.  Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change , 2006, Neurology.

[28]  Yaakov Stern,et al.  Mediterranean diet and risk for Alzheimer's disease , 2006, Annals of neurology.

[29]  Frank M. Sacks,et al.  Dietary Approaches to Prevent and Treat Hypertension: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association , 2006, Hypertension.

[30]  Denis A. Evans,et al.  Fish consumption and cognitive decline with age in a large community study. , 2005, Archives of neurology.

[31]  D. Bennett,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment in different functional domains and incident Alzheimer’s disease , 2005, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

[32]  Hilkka Soininen,et al.  Obesity and vascular risk factors at midlife and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease. , 2005, Archives of neurology.

[33]  Francine Grodstein,et al.  Fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitive decline in aging women , 2005, Annals of neurology.

[34]  J. Schneider,et al.  Dietary folate and vitamin B12 intake and cognitive decline among community-dwelling older persons. , 2005, Archives of neurology.

[35]  Denis A. Evans,et al.  Reasonable estimates of serum vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-cryptoxanthin are obtained with a food frequency questionnaire in older black and white adults. , 2004, The Journal of nutrition.

[36]  W. Kraus,et al.  The effect of the PREMIER interventions on insulin sensitivity. , 2004, Diabetes care.

[37]  Denis A. Evans,et al.  Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire by cognition in an older biracial sample. , 2003, American journal of epidemiology.

[38]  D. Bennett,et al.  Dietary fats and the risk of incident Alzheimer disease. , 2003, Archives of neurology.

[39]  D. Bennett,et al.  Dietary Intake of Antioxidant Nutrients and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease in a Biracial Community Study , 2022 .

[40]  J. Schneider,et al.  Individual differences in rates of change in cognitive abilities of older persons. , 2002, Psychology and aging.

[41]  L. Lipworth,et al.  Diet and overall survival in elderly people , 1995, BMJ.

[42]  L. Berkman,et al.  Two Shorter Forms of the CES-D Depression Symptoms Index , 1993 .

[43]  L. Berkman,et al.  Two shorter forms of the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression) depression symptoms index. , 1993, Journal of aging and health.