Cognition and Indicators of Dietary Habits in Older Adults from Southern Brazil

PLoS One

Aline Rodrigues Barbosa¹  Eleonora D’Orsi²  Vivian Francielle França³ 

[1] Doutora, Departamento de Nutrição, Centro de Desportos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição, Florianópolis, Brasil;Doutora, Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pós Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Florianópolis, Brasil;Doutoranda, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição, Florianópolis, Brasil

关键词: Elderly;    Meat;    Brazil;    Educational attainment;    Fats;    Alcohol consumption;    Cognitive impairment;    Physical activity;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.pone.0147820

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Objective To assess the association between unhealthy dietary habits and cognition in older adults from Southern Brazil. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the second wave of a population- and household-based epidemiological survey (2013–2014) conducted in the city of Florianópolis. A total of 1,197 older adults (778 women) over 60 years old participated in the study. Cognition, the dependent variable, was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The independent variables were the following indicators of unhealthy dietary habits: low intake of fruits and vegetables (≤ 4 servings/day); fish (< 1 serving/week); and habitual fatty meat intake (yes/no). Adjustments were made for age, education level, income, smoking status, alcohol intake, leisure-time physical activity, depression symptoms, chronic diseases, and body mass index. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed, considering sampling weights and stratification by gender. Results The mean MMSE scores for men and women were 25.15 ± 5.56 and 24.26 ± 5.68, respectively (p = 0.009). After adjustments, in women low fruit and vegetable intake (≤ 4 servings/day) was independently associated with the lowest MMSE scores. No associations were found in men. Additionally, women’s mean MMSE scores increased as their daily frequency of fruit and vegetable intake increased (p = 0.001). Conclusion Women with low fruit and vegetable intake according to the World Health Organization (WHO) have lower cognition scores. Regular intake of fruits, vegetables, and fish in exchange of fatty meats may be a viable public policy strategy to preserve cognition in aging.

【 授权许可】

CC BY