Diet, nutrition and the aging brain: current evidence and new directions

This 2018 review explored the aging brain and examined the emerging evidence linking diet and nutrients with cognitive function and depression in aging, which could potentially aid the development of strategies to improve the quality of life in the growing aging population. Moore et al. (2018) point out the estimations that there will be two billion people aged 60 years or over by 2050, with 131 million predicted to suffer from dementia, while depression was also projected to be the second leading cause of disability by 2020. Several dietary patterns, especially the Mediterranean diet, have shown signs of reducing risk of dementia and depression, while the strongest support with regards to dietary-related total evidence was for folate and the metabolically related B-vitamins (vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and riboflavin) in slowing the progression of cognitive impairment and possibly reducing the risk of depression in aging. While the authors found promise also in new technologies such as MRI and magnetoencephalography in identifying effective nutrition interventions that could reduce occurrences of cognitive and mental disorders. [NPIDs: aging, elderly, cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disorders, dementia, cognition, depression, Mediterranean diet, B12, B6, B vitamins, riboflavin]

Year: 2018

Reference: Moore, K., Hughes, C. F., Ward, M., Hoey, L., & McNulty, H. (2018). Diet, nutrition and the ageing brain: current evidence and new directions. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 77(2), 152–163. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665117004177