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Retrospective lifetime dietary patterns predict cognitive performance in community-dwelling older Australians

Authors

Hosking, Diane E., Nettelbeck, Ted, Wilson, Carlene, Danthiir, Vanessa

Journal

The British Journal Of Nutrition, Volume: 112, No.: 2, Pages.: 228-237

Year of Publication

2014

Abstract

Dietary intake is a modifiable exposure that may have an impact on cognitive outcomes in older age. The long-term aetiology of cognitive decline and dementia, however, suggests that the relevance of dietary intake extends across the lifetime. In the present study, we tested whether retrospective dietary patterns from the life periods of childhood, early adulthood, adulthood and middle age predicted cognitive performance in a cognitively healthy sample of 352 older Australian adults >65 years. Participants completed the Lifetime Diet Questionnaire and a battery of cognitive tests designed to comprehensively assess multiple cognitive domains. In separate regression models, lifetime dietary patterns were the predictors of cognitive factor scores representing ten constructs derived by confirmatory factor analysis of the cognitive test battery. All regression models were progressively adjusted for the potential confounders of current diet, age, sex, years of education, English as native language, smoking history, income level, apoE ɛ4 status, physical activity, other past dietary patterns and health-related variables. In the adjusted models, lifetime dietary patterns predicted cognitive performance in this sample of older adults. In models additionally adjusted for intake from the other life periods and mechanistic health-related variables, dietary patterns from the childhood period alone reached significance. Higher consumption of the ‘coffee and high-sugar, high-fat extras’ pattern predicted poorer performance on simple/choice reaction time, working memory, retrieval fluency, short-term memory and reasoning. The ‘vegetable and non-processed’ pattern negatively predicted simple/choice reaction time, and the ‘traditional Australian’ pattern positively predicted perceptual speed and retrieval fluency. Identifying early-life dietary antecedents of older-age cognitive performance contributes to formulating strategies for delaying or preventing cognitive decline. ;

Bibtex Citation

@article{Hosking_2014, doi = {10.1017/s0007114514000646}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114514000646}, year = 2014, month = {apr}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press ({CUP})}, volume = {112}, number = {02}, pages = {228--237}, author = {Diane E. Hosking and Ted Nettelbeck and Carlene Wilson and Vanessa Danthiir}, title = {Retrospective lifetime dietary patterns predict cognitive performance in community-dwelling older Australians}, journal = {British Journal of Nutrition} }

Keywords

adverse effects, aged, aged, 80 and over, aging, cognition, cohort studies, diet, dietary, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, food habits, health promotion, humans, male, mild cognitive impairment, models biological, nutrition policy, patient compliance, patterns, psychiatric status rating scales, retrospective studies, risk factors, south australia

Countries of Study

Australia

Types of Dementia

Dementia (general / unspecified), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Types of Study

Cohort Study

Type of Outcomes

Cognition

Type of Interventions

Risk Factor Modification

Risk Factor Modifications

General population health promotion