Download This Paper
Preprints with The Lancet is a collaboration between The Lancet Group of journals and SSRN to facilitate the open sharing of preprints for early engagement, community comment, and collaboration. Preprints available here are not Lancet publications or necessarily under review with a Lancet journal. These preprints are early-stage research papers that have not been peer-reviewed. The usual SSRN checks and a Lancet-specific check for appropriateness and transparency have been applied. The findings should not be used for clinical or public health decision-making or presented without highlighting these facts. For more information, please see the FAQs.
Dietary Intakes of Flavonoids in Relation to Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China
24 Pages Posted: 8 Aug 2024
More...Abstract
Objective: The study aimed to explore the association of dietary flavonoids intake with cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly adults in China, which may provide some evidence for the prevention for neurodegenerative disease.
Methods: This study population was selected from The Lifestyle and Healthy Aging of Chinese Square Dancer Study. Dietary information was collected using the semi-food frequency questionnaire, and flavonoids intake was calculated according to the flavonoid content of foods from the Chinese food composition table and USDA Database. A battery of neuropsychological tests was employed to evaluate participants’ cognitive function, and global cognition was assessed using the composite z score. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was diagnosed by Petersen's criteria. The relationship between flavonoids intake and cognitive function was determined using multiple linear regression and presented as β with 95% CIs. The association of flavonoids intake with MCI was evaluated using logistic regression models and presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs.
Results: Among 3990 participants, 3395 females (85.09%) were included, and the mean (SD) age of the participants was 63.58 (5.13) years. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, dietary information, and history of diseases, compared with the lowest group (Q1) of total flavonoids, β (95% CI) of the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were 0 (-0.05, 0.05), 0.06 (0, 0.11), 0.12 (0.06, 0.18) for composite z score, respectively. There was no significant association between total flavonoids and MCI. However, when compared with the Q1 group in anthocyanidins, the ORs were 0.66 (0.50, 0.87) for Q3, and 0.68 (0.50, 0.91) for Q4, respectively.
Conclusion: Findings indicated that a higher dietary flavonoids intake was positively related to cognitive function. In addition, dietary anthocyanidins and isoflavones intake was negatively associated with lower risks of MCI. This study supported the benefits of diets rich in flavonoids, including anthocyanidins, flavanones, and isoflavones on the cognitive performance of middle-aged and elderly adults.
Funding: This study was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant number: 2023YFC3606300), and the Square Dance Cohort Fund of CNS Academy of Nutrition and Health (Beijing Zhongyinghui Nutrition and Health Research Institute).
Declaration of Interest: All the authors declared no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (202049). Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Keywords: cross-sectional study, middle-aged and elderly adults, flavonoids intake, cognitive function, mild cognitive impairment
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation