A new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia found that diets high in pro-inflammatory foods are linked to an increased risk of dementia in older adults. The research, conducted on the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, tracked dietary inflammatory index scores over 10 years and found a significant association between higher DII scores and both all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study evaluated 1,487 participants aged 60 or older with no prevalent dementia at baseline. Over 13 years of follow-up, the researchers found that diets high in pro-inflammatory foods were linked to an increased incidence of all-cause dementia (HR 1.21) and Alzheimer’s disease dementia (HR 1.20). The findings suggest that diets rich in anti-inflammatory foods may help prevent late-life dementia.
The study used a dietary inflammatory index score, which was calculated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire over three time points from 1991 to 2001. The DII score was grouped into quartiles and found to be negatively correlated with diet quality. Education, body mass index, total energy intake, and smoking status varied across the four groups.
The researchers noted that diets high in pro-inflammatory foods, such as saturated fat, trans fats, and total energy intake, are associated with increased concentrations of biomarkers of systemic inflammation and risk factors for all-cause and Alzheimer’s disease dementia. The study highlights the importance of preventive dietary interventions to reduce the risk of dementia.
However, the study also acknowledged several limitations, including its observational design and potential measurement error or recall bias. The findings need to be replicated and further validated to confirm their association with dementia risk.
Source: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/113388