Nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a normally aging sample: a 6-y reassessment.
Associations between nutritional status and cognitive performance were examined in 137 elderly (aged 66-90 y) community residents. Participants were well-educated, adequately nourished, and free of significant cognitive impairment. Performance on cognitive tests in 1986 was related to both past (1980) and concurrent (1986) nutritional status. Several significant associations (P < 0.05) were observed between cognition and concurrent vitamin status, including better abstraction performance with higher biochemical status and dietary intake of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate (rs = 0.19-0.29) and better visuospatial performance with higher plasma ascorbate (r = 0.22). Concurrent dietary protein in 1986 correlated significantly (rs = 0.25-0.26) with memory scores, and serum albumin or transferrin with memory, visuospatial, or abstraction scores (rs = 0.18-0.22). Higher past intake of vitamins E, A, B-6, and B-12 was related to better performance on visuospatial recall and/or abstraction tests (rs = 0.19-0.28). Use of self-selected vitamin supplements was associated with better performance on a difficult visuospatial test and an abstraction test. Although associations were relatively weak in this well-nourished and cognitively intact sample, the pattern of outcomes suggests some direction for further research on cognition-nutrition associations in aging.
La Rue
A
A
Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131-5666, USA.
Koehler
K M
KM
Wayne
S J
SJ
Chiulli
S J
SJ
Haaland
K Y
KY
Garry
P J
PJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009525:Niacin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D013831:Thiamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D009525:Niacin; D005492:Folic Acid; D011736:Pyridoxine; D014805:Vitamin B 12; D012256:Riboflavin; D013831:Thiamine