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. 2017 Feb 7:9:18.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00018. eCollection 2017.

Increased Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables Is Related to a Reduced Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: Meta-Analysis

Xian Jiang  1 , Jiang Huang  2 , Daqiang Song  3 , Ru Deng  1 , Jicheng Wei  1 , Zhuo Zhang  3
Affiliations

Increased Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables Is Related to a Reduced Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: Meta-Analysis

Xian Jiang et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background: Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables has been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in many epidemiological studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the strength of this association in a meta-analysis. Methods: We identified relevant studies by searching Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library electronic databases (from 1970 to January 2016). Study were included if they reported relative risks and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cognitive impairment and dementia with respect to frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. Results: Nine studies (five cohort studies and four cross-sectional studies) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. There were a total of 31,104 participants and 4,583 incident cases of cognitive impairment and dementia. The meta-analysis showed that an increased consumption of fruit and vegetables was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.71-0.89). Subgroup analysis indicated this inverse association was only found among participants with mean age over 65 years and combined sexes. Dose-response meta-analysis showed that an increment of 100 g per day of fruit and vegetable consumption was related to an approximately 13% (OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99) reduction in cognitive impairment and dementia risk. There was no potential publication bias in the meta-analysis and the dose-response meta-analysis. Conclusion: The increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; dementia; fruit; meta-analysis; vegetable.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart for the selection of eligible studies.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Relative risk of cognitive impairment and dementia according to the highest vs. lowest category of fruit and vegetables consumption.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Sensitivity analysis. Relative risk of cognitive impairment and dementia according to the highest vs. lowest category of fruit and vegetables consumption by omitting one study in turn.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Dose-response meta-analysis. Relative risk of cognitive impairment and dementia for an increment of 100 g per day of fruit and vegetables consumption.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Funnel plot to explore publication bias. The vertical line is at the mean effect size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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