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Diet, pace of biological aging, and risk of Dementia in the Framingham Heart Study
Individuals who adhere to healthier diets are at a lower risk of developing Dementia, yet the underlying biological mechanism for this protective effect remains unclear. Thomas et al. (2024) aimed to investigate whether the safeguarding effect of a healthy diet against Dementia is due to its ability to decelerate the process of biological aging. Analyses were conducted using data from the Framingham Offspring Cohort, focusing on participants aged 60 and above who were free from Dementia and had available dietary, epigenetic, and follow-up information. Healthy diet adherence was evaluated based on long-term adherence to the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet (MIND) across four visits spanning from 1991 to 2008. The pace of aging was gauged using blood DNA methylation data collected between 2005 and 2008, employing the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock. Incident dementia and mortality were defined using study records compiled from the 2005 to 2008 visit through 2018. Analysis of the results revealed that, among the 1,644 participants included (with a mean age of 69.6 and 54% female), 140 developed dementia, and 471 died over a 14-year follow-up period. A higher MIND score was linked to a slower DunedinPACE and reduced risks of Dementia and mortality. A decelerated DunedinPACE was associated with diminished risks of Dementia and mortality. Mediation analysis revealed that a slower DunedinPACE accounted for 27% of the association between diet and Dementia and 57% of the association between diet and mortality. The authors comment that a reduced pace of aging partially mediates the link between a healthy diet and a decreased risk of Dementia. Monitoring the pace of aging could potentially guide dementia prevention strategies. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the association between diet and Dementia remains unexplained, indicating the possibility of direct connections between diet and brain aging that may not overlap with other organ systems. Further investigation into brain-specific mechanisms through well-designed mediation studies is warranted. [NPID: Healthy diet, Dementia, biological aging, epigenetic clock, DunedinPACE, mortality, mediation analysis]
Year: 2024
