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Examining the relationship between nutrition and cerebral structural integrity in older adults without dementia
journal contribution
posted on 2019-06-01, 00:00 authored by J M Reddan, Helen MacphersonHelen Macpherson, D J White, A Scholey, A PipingasThe proportion of adults aged 60 years and over is expected to increase over the coming decades. This ageing of the population represents an important health issue, given that marked reductions to cerebral macro- and microstructural integrity are apparent with increasing age. Reduced cerebral structural integrity in older adults appears to predict poorer cognitive performance, even in the absence of clinical disorders such as dementia. As such, it is becoming increasingly important to identify those factors predicting cerebral structural integrity, especially factors that are modifiable. One such factor is nutritional intake. While the literature is limited, data from available cross-sectional studies indicate that increased intake of nutrients such as B vitamins (for example, B6, B12 and folate), choline, n-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, or increased adherence to prudent whole diets (for example, the Mediterranean diet) predicts greater cerebral structural integrity in older adults. There is even greater scarcity of randomised clinical trials investigating the effects of nutritional supplementation on cerebral structure, though it appears that supplementation with B vitamins (B6, B12 and folic acid) or n-3 fatty acids (DHA or EPA) may be beneficial. The current review presents an overview of available research examining the relationship between key nutrients or adherence to select diets and cerebral structural integrity in dementia-free older adults.
History
Journal
Nutrition research reviewsVolume
32Issue
1Pagination
79 - 98Publisher
Cambridge University PressLocation
Cambridge, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0954-4224eISSN
1475-2700Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2018, The AuthorsUsage metrics
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Categories
Keywords
Cerebral structural integrityNutritional intakeOlder adultsDementia freeScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineNutrition & DieteticsMILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTWHITE-MATTER INTEGRITYLONG-CHAIN OMEGA-3-FATTY-ACIDSPOLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDSSERUM 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN DAGE-RELATED DIFFERENCESSUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES MEMORYTEMPORAL-LOBE ATROPHYCORTICAL GRAY-MATTERTENSOR IMAGING DTI