Sarah Gregory, Alex Griffiths, Amy Jennings, Fiona C. Malcolmson, Jamie Matu, Anne-Marie Minihane, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, Craig W. Ritchie, Solange Parra-Soto, Emma Stevenson, Rebecca Townsend, Nicola Ann Ward, Oliver Shannon
Nutrition & Metabolism (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.07.020
Summary
The Eatwell Guide is the UK government’s recommendation for a healthy diet. Although other healthy patterns of eating have been linked to better health (heart health and brain health), few studies have looked at the Eatwell Guide. Using data from PREVENT, we found that eating in line with the Eatwell Guide was associated with lower blood pressure and a lower body mass index (or BMI). These are both important risk factors for dementia, and as such eating a healthy diet, such as the Eatwell Guide, may be helpful in reducing dementia risk.
Elijah Mak, Maria-Eleni Dounavi, Grégory Operto, Elina T Ziukelis, Peter Simon Jones, Audrey Low, Peter Swann, Coco Newton, Graciela Muniz Terrera, Paresh Malhotra, Ivan Koychev, Carles Falcon, Clare Mackay, Brian Lawlor, Lorina Naci, Katie Wells, Craig Ritchie, Karen Ritchie, Li Su, Juan Domingo Gispert, John T O’Brien.
Brain Communications (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.07.020
Summary
The APOE ε4 gene is the strongest genetic risk factor for the most common form of Alzheimer’s disease, however, exactly how APOE4 contributes to Alzheimer’s is not fully clear. This was addressed in a collaboration between the PREVENT Dementia programme and the ALFA (ALzheimer’s and FAmilies) cohort in Barcelona.
Using an advanced brain imaging technique called Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) in nearly 2,000 cognitively normal adults, the research teams found APOE4 worsened age-related loss of complexity of brain cell connections. These effects were most pronounced in areas of the brain vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease and involved in memory function.
The findings, suggest APOE4 may promote the development of Alzheimer’s disease by hastening disruptive aging processes in neuron connectivity, especially in memory-critical areas.
Benjamin Tari, Michael Ben Yehuda, Axel Anders Stefan Laurell, Karen Ritchie, Yves Dauvilliers, Craig W. Ritchie, Brian Lawlor, Lorina Naci, Graciela Muniz Terrera, Paresh Malhotra, Tam Watermeyer, Robert Dudas, Benjamin R Underwood, John T O’Brien, Vanessa Raymont, Ivan Koychev.
Frontiers in Sleep (2023)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.07.020
Summary
As the global population ages, it is critical to understand factors associated with cognitive decline, such as sleep. Sleep has been shown to maintain cognitive function and protect against the onset of chronic disease, but too much or too little has been linked to cognitive impairment, depression and dementia onset. Here, we aimed to identify links between sleep, depression and cognition. Our analyses found that sleep was related to participants’ ratings of symptoms of depression, and that their feelings of depression were associated with cognitive performance. Our results provide a base from which cognition, dementia onset, and potential points of intervention, may be better understood.
Sarah Gregory, Georgios Ntailianis, Oliver Shannon, Emma Stevenson, Craig Ritchie, Katie Wells, Graciela Muniz-Terrera
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular diseases (2023)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.07.020
Summary
A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruit, vegetables, pulses, olive oil and oily fish. People who eat this diet have been shown to have better cardiovascular health such as lower blood pressure and lower body mass index (BMI). The aim of this study was to (1) understand if the Mediterranean diet was associated with better cardiovascular health in the PREVENT dementia cohort and (2) to see if this differed between men and women. Three different scores were created which represent how close an individual’s diet represented a Mediterranean diet. Associations between these diet scores and measures of cardiovascular health, which included: blood pressure, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose were then tested. The study found that higher Mediterranean diet scores were associated with lower blood pressure, lower BMI and lower cardiovascular risk scores and found these results were particularly consistent for women. This suggests the importance of considering sex and gender in the development of nutritional recommendations to improve cardiovascular health.
Bauermeister, S.D., ,
British Medical Journal (2023)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X231173587
Summary
This study sought to look at the relationship between pre-diabetes (that is resistance of the body tissue to insulin), depressive symptoms and performance on memory tests in 40-59 year olds. Blood samples were analysed to check how responsive the body tissues were to insulin. Scores on a depression symptoms scale was used to assess levels of depression. Results from two computerised tests were used to determine memory and thinking skills. The results found those with evidence of insulin resistance reported higher depression symptoms. Higher insulin resistance in older middle-aged adults may be particularly detrimental to some aspects of memory and thinking as performance was impaired in those aged 50-60 years. The findings show that there are interrelationships between depression, resistance to insulin and cognitive impairment.
