RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mediterranean diet and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort
JF Neurology
JO Neurology
FD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
SP 1744
OP 1751
DO 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002121
VO 85
IS 20
A1 Gu, Yian
A1 Brickman, Adam M.
A1 Stern, Yaakov
A1 Habeck, Christian G.
A1 Razlighi, Qolamreza R.
A1 Luchsinger, José A.
A1 Manly, Jennifer J.
A1 Schupf, Nicole
A1 Mayeux, Richard
A1 Scarmeas, Nikolaos
YR 2015
UL http://n.neurology.org/content/85/20/1744.abstract
AB Objective: To determine whether higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet (MeDi) is related with larger MRI-measured brain volume or cortical thickness.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, high-resolution structural MRI was collected on 674 elderly (mean age 80.1 years) adults without dementia who participated in a community-based, multiethnic cohort. Dietary information was collected via a food frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter volume (TGMV), total white matter volume (TWMV), mean cortical thickness (mCT), and regional volume or CT were derived from MRI scans using FreeSurfer program. We examined the association of MeDi (scored as 0–9) and individual food groups with brain volume and thickness using regression models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, body mass index, diabetes, and cognition.Results: Compared to lower MeDi adherence (0–4), higher adherence (5–9) was associated with 13.11 (p = 0.007), 5.00 (p = 0.05), and 6.41 (p = 0.05) milliliter larger TBV, TGMV, and TWMV, respectively. Higher fish (b = 7.06, p = 0.006) and lower meat (b = 8.42, p = 0.002) intakes were associated with larger TGMV. Lower meat intake was also associated with larger TBV (b = 12.20, p = 0.02). Higher fish intake was associated with 0.019 mm (p = 0.03) larger mCT. Volumes of cingulate cortex, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus and CT of the superior-frontal region were associated with the dietary factors.Conclusions: Among older adults, MeDi adherence was associated with less brain atrophy, with an effect similar to 5 years of aging. Higher fish and lower meat intake might be the 2 key food elements that contribute to the benefits of MeDi on brain structure.AD=Alzheimer disease; AGE=advanced glycation end products; BMI=body mass index; CDR=Clinical Dementia Rating; DSM-III-R=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised; FFQ=food frequency questionnaire; GLM=generalized linear model; GM=gray matter; ICV=intracranial volume; MANOVA=multivariate analysis of variance; MCI=mild cognitive impairment; mCT=mean cortical thickness; MeDi=Mediterranean diet; PUFA=polyunsaturated fatty acids; ROI=region of interest; SFA=saturated fats; TBV=total brain volume; TGMV=total gray matter volume; TWMV=total white matter volume; WHICAP=Washington Heights/Hamilton Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project; WM=white matter