Higher versus lower nut consumption and changes in cognitive performance over two years in a population at risk of cognitive decline: a cohort study.
Am J Clin Nutr
; 118(2): 360-368, 2023 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37269908
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Tree nuts and peanuts (henceforth, nuts) are nutrient-dense foods rich in neuroprotective components; thus, their consumption could benefit cognitive health. However, evidence to date is limited and inconsistent regarding the potential benefits of nuts for cognitive function.OBJECTIVE:
To prospectively evaluate the association between nut consumption and 2-y changes in cognitive performance in older adults at cognitive decline risk.METHODS:
A total of 6,630 participants aged 55 to 75 y (mean age 65.0±4.9 y, 48.4% women) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome completed a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests at baseline and a 2-y follow-up. Composite cognitive scores were used to assess global, general, attention, and executive function domains. Nut consumption was categorized as <1, ≥1 to <3, ≥3 to <7, and ≥7 servings/wk (1 serving=30 g). Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between baseline nut consumption and 2-y cognitive changes.RESULTS:
Nut consumption was positively associated with 2-y changes in general cognitive function (P-trend <0.001). Compared with participants consuming <1 serving/wk of nuts, those categorized as consuming ≥3 to <7 and ≥7 servings/wk showed more favorable changes in general cognitive performance (ß z-score [95% CI] = 0.06 [0.00,0.12] and 0.13 [0.06,0.20], respectively). No significant changes were observed in the multivariable-adjusted models for other cognitive domains assessed.CONCLUSION:
Frequent nut consumption was associated with a smaller decline in general cognitive performance over 2 y in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. Randomized clinical trials to verify our findings are warranted.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cognitive Dysfunction
/
Nuts
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Clin Nutr
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article