title: Adherence to a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern and cognitive decline in a community population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many of the foods abundant in the traditional Mediterranean diet, such as vegetables and fish, have been associated with slower cognitive decline.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern or to the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) is associated with cognitive change in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article is based on analyses of data from an ongoing longitudinal study in adults aged ≥65 y known as the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP). CHAP participants (2280 blacks and 1510 whites) with ≥2 cognitive assessments were evaluated for adherence to 1) the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MedDiet; maximum score: 55) and 2) the HEI-2005 (maximum score: 100). For both scoring systems, higher scores connote greater adherence. Cognitive function was assessed at 3-y intervals on the basis of a composite measure of global cognition. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association of dietary scores to change in cognitive function. Mean follow-up time was 7.6 y.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (±SD) scores for participants were 28.2 ± 0.1 for the MedDiet and 61.2 ± 9.6 for the HEI-2005. White participants had higher energy-adjusted MedDiet scores but lower HEI-2005 scores than did black participants. Higher MedDiet scores were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline (β = +0.0014 per 1-point increase, SEE = 0.0004, P = 0.0004) after adjustment for age, sex, race, education, participation in cognitive activities, and energy. No such associations were observed for HEI-2005 scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Mediterranean dietary pattern as captured by the MedDiet scoring system may reduce the rate of cognitive decline with older age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. ctangney@rush.edu
authors.forename: Christine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tangney
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kwasny
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Denis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Martha Clare
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People; D014920:Wine