Diet and Cognition (Adult Population)

The CNP Diet and Cognition Research Category consolidates research exploring the interconnected relationship between dietary intake and cognition. To view each original study on the open internet, click “Original.” To view the CNP-written abstract summary, click “CNP Summary.” While only some of the CNP-written abstract summaries are available below for free, all abstract summaries are available to CNP members through the CNP Library Membership.

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FEATURED CNP RESEARCH SUMMARY

Mid-life adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and late-life subjective cognitive complaints in women

The function of a midlife DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet on late-life subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs) is poorly understood. Song et al. (2023) used data on 5116 women from the New York University Women's Health Study (mean age in 1985–1991: 46 years). A 6-item survey evaluated SCCs between 2018 and 2020 (mean age: 79 years). Analysis of the results revealed that women in the highest quartile of DASH scores at baseline had lower odds of having two or more SCCs than those in the bottom quartile. The correlation remained when selection bias was taken into account. In women without a history of cancer, that inverse connection was more pronounced. Thus, the authors conclude that a higher fidelity to the DASH diet in mid-life is linked to lower odds of late-life SSCs in women

RESEARCH SUMMARIES

Excess dietary sugar alters colonocyte metabolism and impairs the proliferative response to damage

Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and lower habitual flavanol consumption