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Dietary patterns and transition from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment and its reversion: A longitudinal study of older adults

  • 0Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310051, China.
Nutrition +

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May 25, 2025

|

May 25, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Certain dietary patterns, like the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) and simplified healthy eating index (SHEI), may help older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) return to normal cognition (NC). These diets also appear to slow cognitive decline.

Area Of Science

  • Gerontology
  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Aging

Background

  • Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognition (NC) reversion is understudied compared to progression to dementia.
  • Understanding factors influencing cognitive transitions in older adults is crucial for public health.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To determine the rate of MCI to NC reversion in older adults.
  • To investigate associations between specific dietary patterns and cognitive status transitions.

Main Methods

  • Analysis of longitudinal data from 11,211 adults aged 65+.
  • Assessment of four dietary patterns: plant-based diet index (PDI), simplified healthy eating index (SHEI), dietary diversity score (DDS), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND).
  • Application of multi-state Markov models to estimate cognitive transition rates and dietary pattern associations.

Main Results

  • The MCI to NC reversion rate was 9.4%.
  • Healthful PDI (hPDI), SHEI, DDS, and MIND dietary patterns were associated with a decreased risk of progression from normal cognition (NC) to MCI.
  • Higher adherence to hPDI and SHEI was linked to increased likelihoods of reverting from MCI to NC.

Conclusions

  • Dietary patterns including hPDI, SHEI, DDS, and MIND may reduce the risk of cognitive decline from NC to MCI.
  • hPDI and SHEI are associated with a greater chance of cognitive reversion from MCI to NC in older adults.
  • Further interventional studies are needed to validate these dietary pattern findings.

Keywords:

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