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Published on: November 14, 2017
MIND diet-related plasma proteins are associated with Alzheimer's disease risk
Shane Fernandez1,2, Desarae A Dempsey1,2,3, Soumilee Chaudhuri1,2,3
1Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Introduction:
Adherence to the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is associated with reduced dementia risk, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
Methods:
Plasma proteomics (SomaScan 7k) from 206 Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center participants were analyzed using network analysis to identify modules associated with MIND diet scores. Diet-related hub proteins were then investigated for associations with Alzheimer's disease (AD) phenotypes and as potential diet-AD outcome mediators. Validation analyses were conducted in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (n = 10,228) and Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium (n = 3,723) datasets.
Results:
Higher MIND diet scores were associated with lower AD odds (odds ratio = 0.75, p = 0.01) and lower plasma neurofilament light chain levels (β = -0.07, p = 0.02). Two proteins, MCTS1 and cytidylate kinase, were associated with MIND diet and AD risk, and may mediate their relationship (p[a × b < 0] ≥ 0.95). Validation analyses supported the MCTS1 finding.
Discussion:
Vascular-related biological mechanisms may underlie associations between diet and dementia risk.
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