Long-term alcohol abuse is associated with poorer cognitive performance. However, the associations between light and moderate drinking and cognitive performance are less clear. We assessed this ...association via cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in a sample of 702 Dutch students. At baseline, alcohol consumption was assessed using questionnaires and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) across four weeks ('Wave 1'). Subsequently, cognitive performance, including memory, planning, and reasoning, was assessed at home using six standard cognition tests presented through an online platform. A year later, 436 students completed the four weeks of EMA and online cognitive testing ('Wave 2'). In both waves, there was no association between alcohol consumption and cognitive performance. Further, alcohol consumption during Wave 1 was not related to cognitive performance at Wave 2. In addition, EMA-data-based drinking patterns, which varied widely between persons but were relatively consistent over time within persons, were also not associated with cognitive performance. Post-hoc analyses of cognitive performance revealed higher within-person variance scores (from Wave 1 to Wave 2) than between-person variance scores (both Wave 1 and Wave 2). In conclusion, no association was observed between alcohol consumption and cognitive performance in a large Dutch student sample. However, the online cognitive tests performed at home may not have been sensitive enough to pick up differences in cognitive performance associated with alcohol consumption.
BACKGROUND: Very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are suggested to be related to cognitive performance in older adults. However, limited data exist on the association between ...n-3 PUFAs and performance in specific cognitive domains. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between plasma n-3 PUFA proportions and cognitive performance in 5 cognitive domains and determined whether plasma n-3 PUFA proportions predict cognitive change over 3 y. DESIGN: We used data from the FACIT trial, in which participants received folic acid or placebo capsules for 3 y. Fatty acid proportions in plasma cholesteryl esters at baseline were measured in 807 men and women aged 50-70 y. Cognitive performance for memory, sensorimotor speed, complex speed, information-processing speed, and word fluency was assessed at baseline and after 3 y. The cross-sectional analyses were based on all 807 participants; the longitudinal analyses were based only on 404 participants in the placebo group. RESULTS: Higher plasma n-3 PUFA proportions predicted less decline in sensorimotor speed (multiple linear regression coefficient, z score = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.57) and complex speed (0.40; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.70) over 3 y. Plasma n-3 PUFA proportions did not predict 3-y changes in memory, information-processing speed, or word fluency. The cross-sectional analyses showed no association between plasma n-3 PUFA proportions and performance in any of the 5 cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, plasma n-3 PUFA proportions were associated with less decline in the speed-related cognitive domains over 3 y. These results need to be confirmed in randomized controlled trials.
Scope
Abdominal obesity is one of the main modifiable risk factors of age‐related cardiometabolic disease. Cardiometabolic disease risk and its associated high abdominal fat mass, cholesterol, and ...glucose concentrations can be reduced by a healthier lifestyle. Hence, the aim is to understand the relation between lifestyle‐induced changes in body composition, and specifically abdominal fat, and accompanying changes in circulating metabolic biomarkers.
Methods and results
Data from the Growing Old Together (GOTO) study was used, which is a single arm lifestyle intervention in which 164 older adults (mean age 63 years, BMI 23–35 kg/m2) changed their lifestyle during 13 weeks by 12.5% caloric restriction plus 12.5% increase in energy expenditure. It is shown here that levels of circulating metabolic biomarkers, even after adjustment for body mass index, specifically associate with abdominal fat mass. The applied lifestyle intervention mainly reduces abdominal fat mass (−2.6%, SD = 3.0) and this reduction, when adjusted for general weight loss, is highly associated with decreased circulating glycerol concentrations and increased HDL diameter.
Conclusion
The lifestyle‐induced reduction of abdominal fat mass is particularly associated, independent of body mass index or general weight loss, with decreased circulating glycerol concentrations and increased HDL diameter.
This study shows that the amount of abdominal fat is correlated with metabolic biomarkers in the blood: large abdominal fat mass associates with high circulating concentrations of glycerol and a small diameter of HDL particles, independent of body mass index. When abdominal fat mass is reduced by a lifestyle intervention, circulating glycerol level is decreased and HDL diameter is increased, independent of general weight loss.
Various dairy nutrients have been associated with cognitive performance. Several observational studies have explored associations between the intake of total dairy or some dairy subgroups and ...cognitive performance. However, studies on the potential impact of a broad variety of dairy subclasses are scarce. We examined cross-sectional associations between a wide assortment of dairy products and cognitive performance. A total of 619 Dutch community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years completed a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. Cognitive performance was assessed with an extensive neuropsychological test battery; the tests were clustered into cognitive domains using z-scores. Linear and logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, habitual physical activity, total energy intake, and dietary factors, were performed to quantify the associations. The Benjamini-Hochberg method was used to correct for multiple testing. After full adjustment, higher skimmed dairy (β ± SD: 0.05 ± 0.02,
= 0.06), fermented dairy (0.04 ± 0.02,
= 0.09), and buttermilk (0.08 ± 0.03,
= 0.19) consumption were associated with better executive functioning. Logistic regression analyses indicated that a 30 g increase in Dutch cheese intake was associated with a 33% lower probability of poor information processing speed (PR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.97). No associations were observed between dairy consumption and attention and working memory or episodic memory.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex, multicausal disorder involving several spatiotemporal scales and scientific domains. While many studies focus on specific parts of this system, the complexity ...of AD is rarely studied as a whole. In this work, we apply systems thinking to map out known causal mechanisms and risk factors ranging from intracellular to psychosocial scales in sporadic AD. We report on the first systemic causal loop diagram (CLD) for AD, which is the result of an interdisciplinary group model building (GMB) process. The GMB was based on the input of experts from multiple domains and all proposed mechanisms were supported by scientific literature. The CLD elucidates interaction and feedback mechanisms that contribute to cognitive decline from midlife onward as described by the experts. As an immediate outcome, we observed several non-trivial reinforcing feedback loops involving factors at multiple spatial scales, which are rarely considered within the same theoretical framework. We also observed high centrality for modifiable risk factors such as social relationships and physical activity, which suggests they may be promising leverage points for interventions. This illustrates how a CLD from an interdisciplinary GMB process may lead to novel insights into complex disorders. Furthermore, the CLD is the first step in the development of a computational model for simulating the effects of risk factors on AD.
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been suggested to reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Therefore, we hypothesized that adults consuming a more Mediterranean-like diet ...were more likely to have better cognitive scores. We investigated cross-sectional associations between MedDiet adherence and cognitive performance using data of 1607 Dutch men and women aged 20–70 years. Dietary intake was assessed using a 183-item Food Frequency Questionnaire. MedDiet adherence was defined by a 0–9 point scale; which was based on intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits/nuts, cereals, fish/seafood, meat/poultry, dairy, ethanol and the MUFA:SFA ratio. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery. Linear regression analyses adjusted for relevant covariates showed a significant inverse association between MedDiet adherence and everyday memory: specifically β = −0.107 ± 0.046 points (P = .02) for the total population and β = −0.139 ± 0.055 points (P = .01) for those aged ≥50 years. Further exploration of the individual MedDiet food groups suggested that the association between MedDiet and every day memory was predominantly driven by the MUFA:SFA ratio. Moreover, associations were observed between higher ethanol intake with better semantic memory and language production (β = 0.016 ± 0.008 P = .05), higher vegetable intake with better processing speed (β = 0.005 ± 0.002, P = .02), and higher legumes intake with poorer processing speed (β = −0.014 ± 0.006, P = .03). Thus, in this Dutch cohort, higher MedDiet adherence was associated with poorer everyday memory.
PURPOSE: Maintenance of cognitive abilities is important for elderly to stay independent. With the aging of the population, the call for modifiable factors is emerging. Dietary protein might improve ...cognitive performance; however, this has hardly been studied. Therefore, we studied the impact of 24-week dietary protein supplementation on cognitive performance in pre-frail and frail elderly people. METHODS: Pre-frail and frail elderly subjects, according to the Fried criteria, randomly received a protein drink containing 15 g protein or a placebo drink twice a day. Cognitive performance was measured at baseline and after 24 weeks by means of a sensitive neuropsychological test battery. In addition, reaction time was assessed after both 12 and 24 weeks of intervention. Domain scores were calculated for the domains episodic memory, attention and working memory, information processing speed, and executive functioning. Analyses of covariance were used to determine differences between groups. Linear mixed models were used to determine differences in reaction time over time and per treatment. RESULTS: In total, 65 subjects (79 ± 8 years) with a median Mini-Mental State Examination score of 28 (interquartile range 26–30) were included. Reaction time improved more in the protein group (68 ms) than in the placebo group (18 ms, P = 0.03). Dietary protein had no significant effect on any of the cognitive domain scores. CONCLUSIONS: Protein supplementation might improve reaction time performance in pre-frail and frail elderly, but did not improve other cognitive functions.
Abstract
Multiple studies have shown that levels of
1
H-NMR metabolites are associated with disease and risk factors of disease such as BMI. While most previous investigations have been performed in ...fasting samples, meta-analysis often includes both cohorts with fasting and non-fasting blood samples. In the present study comprising 153 participants (mean age 63 years; mean BMI 27 kg/m
2
) we analyzed the effect of a standardized liquid meal (SLM) on metabolite levels and how the SLM influenced the association between metabolites and BMI. We observed that many metabolites, including glycolysis related metabolites, multiple amino acids, LDL diameter, VLDL and HDL lipid concentration changed within 35 minutes after a standardized liquid meal (SLM), similarly for all individuals. Remarkable, however, is that the correlations of metabolite levels with BMI remained highly similar before and after the SLM. Hence, as exemplified with the disease risk factor BMI, our results suggest that the applicability of
1
H-NMR metabolites as disease biomarkers depends on the standardization of the fasting status rather than on the fasting status itself. Future studies are required to investigate the dependency of metabolite biomarkers for other disease risk factors on the fasting status.
It is well known that adiposity is a risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the associations of measures of adiposity with ...indices of glycemia and of glycemic variability over a 72-h period in non-diabetic older adults.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in non-diabetic individuals from the Active and Healthy Aging Study (
= 228), Switchbox (
= 116), and the Growing Old Together Study (
= 94). Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were measured, and indices of glycemia and glycemic variability were derived from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) using the Mini-Med
CGM system. Associations between adiposity and CGM were studied separately for the three cohorts, and derived estimates were subsequently meta-analyzed.
After meta-analyzing the results from the separate cohorts, individuals with a higher BMI had higher levels of glycemia. Individuals with BMI between 30 and 35 kg/m
had 0.28 mmol/L 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12-0.44 higher 72 h-mean glucose concentration, 0.26 mmol/L (0.10-0.42) higher diurnal glucose (6:00 a.m. to 0:00 a.m.), and 0.39 mmol/L (0.19; 0.59) higher nocturnal glucose (3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.) than participants with a normal weight (BMI 18.5-25 kg/m
). However, no associations were observed between higher BMI and glycemic variability. Results for glycemia and glycemic variability were similarly observed for a high waist circumference.
High adiposity associates with constant higher mean glucose levels over the day in non-diabetic older adults.
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