Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Mar;3(1):53-64.
doi: 10.14283/jpad.2015.71.

Dietary Factors and Cognitive Decline

P J Smith  1 , J A Blumenthal  1
Affiliations

Dietary Factors and Cognitive Decline

P J Smith et al. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Cognitive decline is an increasingly important public health problem, with more than 100 million adults worldwide projected to develop dementia by 2050. Accordingly, there has been an increased interest in preventive strategies that diminish this risk. It has been recognized that lifestyle factors including dietary patterns, may be important in the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia in later life. Several dietary components have been examined, including antioxidants, fatty acids, and B vitamins. In addition, whole dietary eating plans, including the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, with and without weight loss, have become areas of increasing interest. Although prospective epidemiological studies have observed that antioxidants, fatty acids, and B vitamins are associated with better cognitive functioning, randomized clinical trials have generally failed to confirm the value of any specific dietary component in improving neurocognition. Several randomized trials have examined the impact of changing 'whole' diets on cognitive outcomes. The MeDi and DASH diets offer promising preliminary results, but data are limited and more research in this area is needed.

Keywords: Dietary patterns; cognitive function; dementia; nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None.

References

    1. Association As. Alzheimer's Facts and Figures. 2014 12/9/14. Available from: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp.
    1. Organization WH. Dementia: a public health priority (Executive Summary) 2012
    1. International AsD. World Alzheimer's Report. London: 2009.
    1. Stefanacci RG. The costs of Alzheimer's disease and the value of effective therapies. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17(Suppl 13):S356–362. - PubMed
    1. Plassman BL, Langa KM, Fisher GG, Heeringa SG, Weir DR, Ofstedal MB, Burke JR, Hurd MD, Potter GG, Rodgers WL, Steffens DC, McArdle JJ, Willis RJ, Wallace RB. Prevalence of cognitive impairment without dementia in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:427–434. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources