Posts Tagged "Cognition"

Worldwide prevalence of dementia is expected to reach 65.7 million and 115.4 million in 2030 and 2050, respectively. Currently, there is no effective therapy to delay the onset or halt the progression of dementia, a growing public health problem with priority for research. The potential protection on cognition has been examined for some nutrients such as fatty acids, vitamins, fish, fruit and vegetables but observational and experimental studies have provided inconsistent results. Defining the effect of diet on health by the overall dietary pattern instead of a single or a few nutrients allows to study the synergy among nutrients and avoids problems due to confounding, multiple testing and collinearity among them. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is characterized by the use of olive oil as the main culinary fat and high consumption of plant-based foods (fruits and nuts, vegetables, legumes and minimally processed cereals). It also includes moderate-to-high consumption of fish and seafood and low consumption of butter or other dairy products and meat or meat products. Regular but moderate intake of alcohol, preferentially red wine during meals, is customary. An intervention with MedDiets enhanced with either EVOO or nuts appears to improve cognition compared with a low-fat diet. (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry)

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Even if they’re still within the normal range, higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels may be associated with poorer performance on certain cognitive tests and with differences in hippocampal structure, German researchers found. Among healthy middle-age and older adults with mean HbA1c levels of 5.8%, each standard deviation increase in HbA1c was associated with significant declines in delayed recall, learning ability, and memory consolidation… They added that “lifestyle strategies” to achieve strict glucose control could prevent age-related cognitive decline, even in individuals with HbA1c levels currently considered normal — a hypothesis that should be tested in future trials, they noted.

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Adopting a habit of “intermittent fasting” that involves foregoing food every other day may eventually lead to weight loss and improve cognition in heavier patients, researchers reported here. In a single-center, randomized, pilot study, patients who fasted completely every other day lost about the same amount of weight over 2 months as those who didn’t fast at all… But at 6 months, after patients were technically off the intervention, those who had the initial “intermittent fasting” intervention had greater weight loss and greater improvements in cognitive function than those on a standard diet, Donahoo reported… In an earlier paper, Mattson wrote that intermittent fasting is consistent with the way humans evolved to eat. “From an evolutionary perspective, intermittent fasting is normal, and eating 3 meals a day plus snacks is abnormal. Going without food for most of the day or even for several days is a challenge that we are very capable of meeting,” he stated.

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The herpes virus that produces cold sores during times of stress now has been linked to cognitive impairment throughout life, according to a new University of Michigan study that for the first time shows an impact on children ages 12-16. Researchers at the U-M School of Public Health study examined the association between two latent herpes viruses—Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and cytomegalovirus (CMV)—and cognitive impairment among individuals across three age groups: 6-16, 20-59, and 60 and older. The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. HSV-1 is the oral herpes virus. Previous research has linked it with neurological disorders associated with aging, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, but few studies have examined whether these pathogens may influence cognition beginning early in life. “This study is a first step in establishing an association between these viruses and cognition across a range of ages in the U.S. population,” said Allison Aiello, associate professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health.

Source: University of Michigan