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Perspective: Advancing Dietary Guidance for Cognitive Health-Focus On Solutions to Harmonize Test Selection,
Amy R Romijn1, Marie E Latulippe2, Linda Snetselaar3
1Swansea University, School of Psychology, Swansea, Wales, UK.
Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)
|March 30, 2023
Summary
This study addresses inconsistent cognitive testing methods in nutrition research to improve dietary guidance for cognitive health. Experts propose solutions to standardize cognitive task selection for better public health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- The 2020 United States Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report highlighted significant variation and inconsistency in cognitive testing methods within nutrition research.
- This heterogeneity in cognitive assessment tools poses a challenge for evaluating existing data and developing evidence-based dietary guidance for cognitive health.
- The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) convened experts to address these critical issues in cognitive task selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and discuss current challenges in cognitive task selection for nutrition research.
- To propose solutions for standardizing cognitive outcome measures to inform dietary guidance for cognitive health.
- To build upon existing reviews and advance the field of nutrition and cognitive function research.
Main Methods:
- Conducted an umbrella review of existing literature on cognitive task selection in nutrition research.
- Convened an expert workshop in March 2022 to discuss challenges and potential solutions.
- Synthesized findings from the literature review and expert discussions to form consensus perspectives.
Main Results:
- The umbrella review confirmed agreement on some issues affecting heterogeneity in cognitive task selection and fundamental principles for outcome measure selection.
- Significant disagreements persist, hindering the meaningful evaluation of data for dietary guidance.
- Expert discussions identified key areas for improvement and potential solutions to enhance cognitive testing in nutrition research.
Conclusions:
- Standardizing cognitive task selection is crucial for advancing dietary guidance related to cognitive health.
- The expert group's perspective offers actionable recommendations to address the identified gaps in nutrition research methodology.
- Publicly available data and code will facilitate transparency and reproducibility in future research.
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