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
. 2021 Oct 22;13(11):3728.
doi: 10.3390/nu13113728.

Effects of Nutrition on Cognitive Function in Adults with or without Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Laia Gutierrez  1   2 , Alexandre Folch  1   2 , Melina Rojas  1   2 , José Luis Cantero  3   4 , Mercedes Atienza  3   4 , Jaume Folch  1   2   4 , Antoni Camins  4   5   6 , Agustín Ruiz  4   7 , Christopher Papandreou  2   8 , Mònica Bulló  1   2   8
Affiliations

Effects of Nutrition on Cognitive Function in Adults with or without Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Laia Gutierrez et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

New dietary approaches for the prevention of cognitive impairment are being investigated. However, evidence from dietary interventions is mainly from food and nutrient supplement interventions, with inconsistent results and high heterogeneity between trials. We conducted a comprehensive systematic search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in MEDLINE-PubMed, from January 2018 to July 2021, investigating the impact of dietary counseling, as well as food-based and dietary supplement interventions on cognitive function in adults with or without cognitive impairment. Based on the search strategy, 197 eligible publications were used for data abstraction. Finally, 61 articles were included in the analysis. There was reasonable evidence that dietary patterns, as well as food and dietary supplements improved cognitive domains or measures of brain integrity. The Mediterranean diet showed promising results, whereas the role of the DASH diet was not clear. Healthy food consumption improved cognitive function, although the quality of these studies was relatively low. The role of dietary supplements was mixed, with strong evidence of the benefits of polyphenols and combinations of nutrients, but with low evidence for PUFAs, vitamin D, specific protein, amino acids, and other types of supplements. Further well-designed RCTs are needed to guide the development of dietary approaches for the prevention of cognitive impairment.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognitive impairment; diet; dietary interventions; food; healthy; subjective cognitive decline; supplements.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of studies assessed for eligibility per screening stage.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Quality assessment of the RCTs that followed a diet counselling intervention.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Quality assessment of the RCTs that followed a food-based intervention.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Quality assessment of the RCTs that followed a dietary supplement intervention.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mean values of the studies’ sample size according to the RoB Sample size range: 19 to 843 in low RoB, 11 to 708 in some concerns, 21 to 250 in high RoB.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Potential mechanisms linking dietary interventions with cognitive function improvements.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dementia. [(accessed on 6 September 2021)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia.
    1. Daviglus M.L., Bell C.C., Berrettini W., Bowen P.E., Connolly E.S., Cox N.J., Dunbar-Jacob J.M., Granieri E.C., Hunt G., McGarry K., et al. NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Decline. NIH Consens. State Sci. Statements. 2010;27:1–30. - PubMed
    1. Panza F., Seripa D., Solfrizzi V., Imbimbo B.P., Lozupone M., Leo A., Sardone R., Gagliardi G., Lofano L., Creanza B.C., et al. Emerging Drugs to Reduce Abnormal β-Amyloid Protein in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. Expert Opin. Emerg. Drugs. 2016;21:377–391. doi: 10.1080/14728214.2016.1241232. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Petersen R.C., Caracciolo B., Brayne C., Gauthier S., Jelic V., Fratiglioni L. Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Concept in Evolution. J. Intern. Med. 2014;275:214–228. doi: 10.1111/joim.12190. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Parnetti L., Chipi E., Salvadori N., D’Andrea K., Eusebi P. Prevalence and Risk of Progression of Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Stages: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Alzheimers Res. Ther. 2019;11:7. doi: 10.1186/s13195-018-0459-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources