Validity of estimated dietary eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid intakes determined by interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire among older adults with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment or dementia.
Epidemiologic research is increasingly being focused on elderly persons, many of whom exhibit mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. This presents a challenge for collection and interpretation of self-reported dietary data. There are few reports on the impact of cognitive function and dementia on the validity of self-reported dietary intakes. Using plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles as a biomarker of intake, the authors assessed the validity of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to estimate intakes of 2 marine-based omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), among 273 community-dwelling adults aged > or =60 years participating in the Nutrition, Aging, and Memory in Elders Study (Boston, Massachusetts, 2002-2008). Age- and energy-adjusted Pearson correlation coefficients for correlations between dietary intakes and plasma phospholipids were consistent across categories of high and low cognitive function (r = 0.48), based on Mini-Mental State Examination score, and were similar across clinically diagnosed categories of normal functioning (r = 0.49), mild cognitive impairment (r = 0.45), and dementia (r = 0.52). The FFQ ranked 78% of subjects to within 1 quartile of their plasma phospholipid EPA + DHA quartile. This frequency was consistently high across all cognitive categories. With interviewer administration, this FFQ seems to be a valid method of assessing dietary EPA + DHA intake in older adults with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment.
Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02124, USA.
Lisa N
LN
Arsenault
Nirupa
N
Matthan
Tammy M
TM
Scott
Gerard
G
Dallal
Alice H
AH
Lichtenstein
Marshal F
MF
Folstein
Irwin
I
Rosenberg
Katherine L
KL
Tucker
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid