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. 2023 Jul 18;15(14):3181.
doi: 10.3390/nu15143181.

Inverse Association between Cheese Consumption and Lower Cognitive Function in Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults Based on a Cross-Sectional Study

Hunkyung Kim  1 , Yosuke Osuka  2 , Narumi Kojima  3 , Hiroyuki Sasai  3 , Kentaro Nakamura  4 , Chisato Oba  4 , Mayuki Sasaki  4 , Takao Suzuki  5
Affiliations

Inverse Association between Cheese Consumption and Lower Cognitive Function in Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults Based on a Cross-Sectional Study

Hunkyung Kim et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Diet modification may contribute to the prevention of age-related cognitive decline. The association between dairy product consumption and cognitive function in older people remains unknown. We investigated whether cheese intake is associated with lower cognitive function (LCF) in community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional study included 1503 adults aged over 65 years. The analyzed data were obtained through face-to-face interviews and functional ability measurement. Cognitive function was assessed using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and a score ≤23 was defined as LCF. The prevalence of LCF was 4.6%, and this group had smaller calf circumference, slower usual walking speed, and a more frequent history of anemia than subjects with MMSE scores >23. After adjusting for confounding factors, logistic regression analysis revealed cheese intake (odds ratio (OR) = 0.404, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.198-0.824), age (OR = 1.170, 95% CI = 1.089-1.256), usual walking speed (OR = 0.171, 95% CI = 0.062-0.472) and calf circumference (OR = 0.823, 95% CI = 0.747-0.908) to be significant factors associated with LCF. Although the present study was an analysis of cross-sectional data of Japanese community-dwelling older adults, the results suggest that cheese intake is inversely associated with LCF.

Keywords: MMSE score; cheese; lower cognitive function.

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Conflict of interest statement

This study was conducted as a part of the “Epidemiology study of the relationship between dairy products intake and cognitive function” commissioned by Meiji Co., Ltd. T.S. holds the position of Commissioned Research Chair, and H.K. is a member of the Commissioned Research group. K.N., C.O., and M.S. are employees of Meiji Co., Ltd. The other authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the execution, analysis, or interpretation of the data or the writing of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frequency of MMSE scores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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