The Green Mind: How Plant-Based Diets Influence Cognitive Health in Older Adults
In the pursuit of understanding the impact of diet on cognitive health, a study was conducted among older Chinese adults. The focus was on plant-based diets and how changes in the quality of such diets could influence the risk of cognitive impairment. The study used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and followed 6662 participants over a decade.
The quality of plant-based diets was assessed using three indices: the overall plant-based diet index (PDI), the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and the unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI). The study found that participants who significantly increased their adherence to an overall plant-based diet and a healthful plant-based diet over three years had a lower risk of cognitive impairment. However, those who increased their adherence to an unhealthy plant-based diet had a higher risk.
In conclusion, the study suggests that a shift towards a healthier plant-based diet could potentially lower the risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. However, it's important to note that an unhealthy plant-based diet could have the opposite effect. This highlights the importance of not just the type of diet, but also the quality of the diet in maintaining cognitive health.
Article Information
Changes in Plant-based Dietary Quality and Subsequent Risk of Cognitive Impairment among Older Chinese Adults: A National Community-based Cohort Study
Published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Kai Ding et al.
Abstract
Background: It is unclear how changes in plant-based dietary quality are linked to subsequent risk of cognitive impairment. This study aims to evaluate this relationship using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS).
Methods: A total of 6662 participants free of cognitive impairment in 2008 were included and followed up to 2018. Plant-based dietary quality was assessed by three indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI). Changes in plant-based diet quality from 2008 to 2011 were classified into quintiles. We assessed incident cognitive impairment (from 2011 to 2018) by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Cox proportional-hazards models were performed.
Results: We recorded 1571 incident cases of cognitive impairment during a median of 10 years of follow-up. Compared with participants whose plant-based diet had no change or was relatively stable over three years, the full-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cognitive impairment were 0.77 (0.64, 0.93), 0.72 (0.60, 0.86), and 1.50 (1.27, 1.77) among participants with a large increase in PDI, hPDI, and uPDI, respectively. The HRs with 95% CI were 1.22 (1.02, 1.44), 1.30 (1.11, 1.54), and 0.80 (0.67, 0.96) among participants with a large decrease in PDI, hPDI, and uPDI, respectively. Every 10-point increase in PDI and hPDI was associated with 26% and 30% lower risk of cognitive impairment, while every 10-point increase in uPDI was associated with 36% higher risk.
Conclusions: Older adults with increased adherence to an overall plant-based diet and a healthful plant-based diet over three years have a lower risk of cognitive impairment, while those with increased adherence to an unhealthy plant-based diet had a higher risk of cognitive impairment.
Bring preventive care to your clinic
© Longevity Artificial Intelligence. All rights reserved.