Summary
INTRODUCTIONHealthful dietary patterns may attenuate dementia risk by preserving cerebrovascular health. Prior work has focused on systemic arterial stiffness, but cerebrovascular measures may be more sensitive to neuroprotective effects of diet. We examined associations between Mediterranean diet adherence, prefrontal cortex (PFC) arterial elasticity, and cognition in older adults. METHODSParticipants were 198 older adults (58% female; mean age 65.6 years) from the Newcastle ACTIVate cohort. Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) scores were derived from the Australian Eating Survey food frequency questionnaire. Pulse Relaxation Function (PReFx), an index of PFC arterial elasticity, was measured using pulse Diffuse Optical Tomography. Cognition was assessed with CANTAB and a cued task-switching paradigm. RESULTSHigher MedDiet was associated with higher PFC arterial elasticity. MedDiet was not associated with cognition, and PReFx did not mediate diet-cognition associations. DISCUSSIONGreater Mediterranean diet alignment was cross-sectionally associated with PFC arterial elasticity, suggesting a pathway through which diet may influence brain health in ageing.
Outcomes reported
INTRODUCTIONHealthful dietary patterns may attenuate dementia risk by preserving cerebrovascular health. Prior work has focused on systemic arterial stiffness, but cerebrovascular measures may be more sensitive to neuroprotective effects of diet. We examined associations between Mediterranean diet adherence, prefrontal cortex (PFC) arterial elasticity, and cognition in older adults. METHODSParticipants were 198 older adults (58% female; mean age 65.6 years) from the Newcastle ACTIVate cohort. Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) scores were derived from the Australian Eating Survey food frequency questionnaire. Pulse Relaxation Function (PReFx), an index of PFC arterial elasticity, was measured using pulse Diffuse Optical Tomography. Cognition was assessed with CANTAB and a cued task-switching paradigm. RESULTSHigher MedDiet was associated with higher PFC arterial elasticity. MedDiet was not associated with cognition, and PReFx did not mediate diet-cognition associations. DISCUSSIONGreater Mediterranean diet alignment was cross-sectionally associated with PFC arterial elasticity, suggesting a pathway through which diet may influence brain health in ageing.
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