Abstract
OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to examine the association between Mediterranean-type diet (MeDi) and brain volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). BACKGROUND:While higher adherence to MeDi is associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and slower rates of cognitive decline among elderly, the association of MeDi with more specific brain biological markers and indicators has not been extensively explored. DESIGN/METHODS: A total of 674 non-demented older adults (aged 蠅65 years) from the multiethnic WHICAP cohort who had high-resolution structural MRI and dietary data were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Intracranial volume(ICV), total brain volume(TBV), total gray matter volume(TGMV), total white matter volume(TWMV) and cortical thickness(CT) were computed with FreeSurfer software. To adjust for differences in cranial size, we used in the analysis the ICV-adjusted volumetric measures, which are computed as the residuals from the regression model with TBV, TGMV, or TWMV as the dependent variable and ICV as the independent variable. Dietary information was collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and a MeDi score (ranges 0-9, higher value indicating higher adherence) was calculated. RESULTS:The subjects had on average 865(SD=99)cm3, 517(SD=51)cm3, 372(SD=55)cm3, 2.5(SD=0.12)mm of TBV, TGMV, TWMV, and CT, respectively. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, ethnicity, energy intake, and APOE showed that those with higher (5-9) MeDi scores had larger TBV (β=13.6,p=0.01), TGMV (β=5.5,p=0.03), and TWMV (β=7.3,p=0.02) compared with those with lower (0-4) MeDi scores. Among the 9 food components of MeDi, more fish intake (β=6.8,p=0.01) was associated with larger TGMV, and lower meat intake was associated with both larger TBV (β=11.1,p=0.03) and TGMV (β=7.4,p=0.01). Higher fish intake was also associated with higher CT (β=0.018,p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS:Our study found that adherence to MeDi was associated with larger brain volume in this elderly population, suggesting a potential role of MeDi in preventing brain atrophy. Study Supported by:NIH grants K99AG042483,R01AG037212,R01AG034189,R01AG007370,R01AG026158.
Disclosure: Dr. Gu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brickman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Habeck has nothing to disclose. Dr. Razlighi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Luchsinger has nothing to disclose. Dr. Manly has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Dr. Schupf has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mayeux has nothing to disclose. Dr. Stern has received personal compensation for activities with Elan, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Cephalon, and GalaxoSmithKlein as a consultant. Dr. Scarmeas has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis.
Wednesday, April 22 2015, 4:00 pm-5:45 pm
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