Dietary Choices with Lower Alzheimer's Disease Risk
Dietary Choices with Lower Alzheimer's Disease Risk
Abstract & Commentary
By Mary Elina Ferris, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Southern California. Dr. Ferris reports no financial relationship to this field of study.
Synopsis: Dietary pattern analysis of elderly subjects followed over at least 4 years showed lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease when there was higher intake of nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, salad dressing, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables, along with lower intake of high-fat diary products, red meat, organ meat, and butter.
Source: Gu Y, et al. Food combination and Alzheimer disease risk: A protective diet. Arch Neurol 2010;67:699-706.
Elderly community-based subjects (aged 65 years or older) without dementia provided dietary information and were prospectively evaluated with standardized neurological and neuropsychological measures approximately every 1.5 years to determine the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Of 2148 subjects followed an average of 3.9 years, 253 developed Alzheimer's disease.
Nutritional information was obtained by trained interviewers in Spanish and English using a 61-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire, which allowed categorization into 30 food groups and calculation of intake of nutrients, which could be used in statistical analysis (reduced rank regression) to determine linear combinations. Seven dietary pattern scores were identified, and one of these was associated with significantly decreased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Subjects who were older, less educated, and current smokers were less represented in this dietary pattern. This association persisted even after adjustments were made for concomitant stroke, age, ethnicity, and alcohol use.
Commentary
Because human diets are so complex and involve combinations of nutrients that may be interactive, this research approach used "dietary pattern analysis" instead of just looking at individual components. They utilized a reduced rank regression after calculating actual nutrient intake, based on prior known information about which nutrients might be associated with this particular disease.
Specifically, the dietary pattern that appeared protective against development of Alzheimer's disease had increased amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and folate, and had lower saturated fatty acids and vitamin B12. This was associated with a higher intake of nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, salad dressing, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables, along with lower intake of high-fat diary products, red meat, organ meat, and butter.
Dietary analysis is always problematic, but this approach appears to give a more accurate analysis of the actual nutrients consumed rather than the broader food groups. It confirms that the diet we also promote for cancer prevention and lower arteriosclerosis risk will probably also be useful to prevent Alzheimer's disease. It gives us hope that future studies linking diet to disease development using this pattern analysis may provide useful information we can use to counsel our patients.
Dietary pattern analysis of elderly subjects followed over at least 4 years showed lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease when there was higher intake of nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, salad dressing, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables, along with lower intake of high-fat diary products, red meat, organ meat, and butter.Subscribe Now for Access
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