Food consumption and mild cognitive impairment in Qingdao rural elderly: A cross-sectional study

Diet plays a crucial role in cognition. Mild cognitive impairment has a high prevalence in rural elderly people. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between diet and mild cognitive impairment among rural elderly people in China. The study evaluated the association between diet and the risk of mild cognitive impairment among them.

In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1262 participants (≥65 years) living in rural Qingdao, China. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, and dietary consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations.

In all, 315 (25%) participants had mild cognitive impairment. The weekly frequency of food consumption was lower in the mild cognitive impairment group than in the no mild cognitive impairment group. After adjusting for covariates, compared with participants who consumed never/less than once a week, daily consumption of coarse cereals (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.91), potatoes (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34-0.87), fruits (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.35-0.69), livestock and poultry meat (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.44-0.99), eggs (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.97), and nuts (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.28-0.80) was inversely associated with mild cognitive impairment (all p<0.05).

Higher dietary diversity and more frequent consumption of coarse cereals, potatoes, fruits, livestock and poultry meat, eggs, and nuts were associated with a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. Elderly people should develop healthy dietary habits to prevent or delay cognitive decline.