cognitive Archives - First Washington News

March 2, 2023

Mediterranean diet may reduce cognitive impairment

A close up of a hand reaching for a glass of water on a table full of foods typical of a Mediterranean diet such as olives and fish — The Mediterranean diet program may perhaps also have cognitive rewards. Vera Lair/Stocksy

Scientists analyzed the outcomes of a Mediterranean food plan on cognitive impairment between clients with MS.
They uncovered that nearer adherence to the Mediterranean diet regime was linked to a reduce chance of cognitive impairment.
Additional research are desired to confirm the results.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a continual autoimmune condition that impacts the mind and central anxious program. Signs and symptoms incorporate exhaustion, mobility challenges, and numbness.

All over 2.8 million people today dwell with MS throughout the world, and ladies are 2 times as most likely than men to have the situation.

Scientific studies demonstrate that sure diet plans and other life style aspects could improve the high quality of everyday living for clients with MS. 1 examine, for example, uncovered that the Mediterranean diet regime might have a neuroprotective result against incapacity in MS.

The result in of MS is unknown, and there is at the moment no remedy. Treatments typically target on symptom relief and slowing progression.

The Mediterranean food plan is a assorted diet that consists of minimally-processed foods, limited quantities of crimson meat, and moderate amounts of dairy and poultry. It is significant in:

fish
veggies
complete grains
legumes
fruits
mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil

More analysis into how dietary factors affect MS could enhance good quality of everyday living amongst clients with the affliction.

Just lately, researchers investigated the consequences of the Mediterranean food plan on cognition among individuals with MS.

They found that stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet was linked to a decrease threat for cognitive impairment.

“Cognitive impairment may well affect in excess of 50{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of people with MS and there are at this time no productive pharmacologic treatment plans,” Barbara Giesser, neurologist and MS professional at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, not included in the analyze, advised Clinical Information Now.

“A life-style method that could aid protect or retain normal cognitive operate would be very vital in serving to persons with MS to are living their most effective life,” she extra.

The analyze was introduced at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Yearly Meeting.

For the analyze, the scientists recruited 563 individuals with MS. Every completed a questionnaire to record how carefully they adopted the Mediterranean eating plan. Scores ranged from 0–14. Members ended up split into numerous groups: those who scored 0–4 adhered the very least to the Mediterranean diet regime, whereas people who scored nine and over adhered to the eating plan most.

Participants also underwent three tests evaluating their pondering and memory expertise. From these tests, they observed that 108 individuals, or 19.2{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, had cognitive impairment.

Right after analyzing the final results, the scientists located that clients who most carefully adopted the Mediterranean diet regime experienced a 20{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} decreased danger for cognitive impairment than all those who adhered to it least.

The romantic relationship remained right after controlling for confounders including demographic elements and well being components which include snooze disturbances, diabetic issues, and hypertension.

“Among health-relevant variables, the degree of nutritional alignment with the Mediterranean sample was by significantly the strongest predictor of people’s cognitive scores and no matter if they met the review conditions for cognitive impairment,” explained study writer Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, of the Icahn Faculty of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, New York, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, in a push launch.

“This way of having presents a substantial-excellent eating plan that contains not only essential vitamins, but also a variety of obviously developing bio-actives that are significantly less than investigation for their position in preserving versus cognitive decline,” Meghan Pendleton, RD, not included in the research, explained to MNT.

“Oxidative tension is proposed to perform a big role in MS, creating mobile injury and neurodegeneration. [Hypotheses suggest] that the Mediterranean diet provides bio-actives that may perhaps shield in opposition to oxidative stress, or give other protective mechanisms,” she stated.

“The mechanisms whereby the [Mediterranean] food plan may possibly help protect cognition incorporate achievable anti-inflammatory and or anti-oxidant outcomes, reduction in co-morbidities that could impact cognition these as hypertension, and substitution of healthier foodstuff for food items that may lead to co-morbidities or adversely influence cognition e.g. ultra processed meals,” Dr. Giesser included.

“This kind of research structure gives insights into associations, but not actual system of how [the] eating plan may possibly confer advantages,” famous Pendleton.

Pendleton reported that observational reports have been critical in this regard, “for helping to build hypotheses to examination [but] future interventional scientific trials will assist clarify our understanding and strengthen our capability to make unique tips.”

“There is at present a absence of long-time period intervention trials when it comes to diet strategies for various mind well being outcomes, like MS. We know in other regions of mind health research exactly where nutrition is used as an intervention, this kind of as for dementia, there are frequently inconsistencies between results from observational and interventional scientific tests,” she extra.

“So, whilst this analyze absolutely does contribute to our current knowing of how diet program could be connected with MS, we must be patient and get warning in extrapolating which means or clinical significance,” she said.

Pendleton noted that study in diet and MS is nonetheless in its infancy, indicating more studies are essential in advance of conclusions can be manufactured.

“[I] never see any downside for another person adopting the Mediterranean eating plan anyway— it is a pretty well being-promoting way of consuming, and can be valuable for threat reduction and administration of other conditions.”
— Meghan Pendleton, RD

On the other hand, she observed that there is nevertheless no clear definition of what a Mediterranean eating plan is, and that the eating plan is considerably less about particular foodstuff, and additional so about common food stuff styles.

“This is an vital point mainly because the diet plan need to be culturally adaptable to include conventional food items from all kinds of cuisines. Often I feel suppliers genuinely miss the mark with this, and inadvertently present ethnocentric tips that may possibly close up not currently being culturally sensitive and beneficial for patients,” she concluded.

January 29, 2023

Early CVD tied to cognitive issues later in life

brain slice — Having cardiovascular problems in one’s 20s or 30s is linked to cognitive decline later in life, a new study shows. Image credit: Pati Gagarin/Stocksy.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects around 550 million people worldwide, and its prevalence has doubled since 1990.
CVD has been associated with cognitive impairment and dementia in older people.
The incidence and mortality of CVD among young and middle-aged adults have been steady or increasing in recent years.
New research has found that people with early CVD may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems and worse brain health in middle age.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major cause of global mortality and disability. Although the CVD burden is declining in those aged over 50, current rates of CVD below this age have either remained steady or increased.

In high-income countries, lifestyle factors, such as obesity, lack of physical activity, and poor diet, are all increasing the incidence of CVD.

Studies have shown that cardiovascular risk factors may contribute to late-life cognitive decline and dementia but, until now, there has been little evidence that CVD might speed cognitive decline in middle age.

Now, new research, part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, has found that premature CVD — at or below the age of 60 — may affect brain health and increase cognitive decline in midlife.

The research appears in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

This prospective cohort study enrolled people aged between 18 and 30 years, and followed them for 30 years. Participants had follow-up examinations every 2–5 years during the study.

The participants were from four cities in the United States, just over half were female and just under half were Black.

Dr. Sandra Narayanan, board-certified vascular neurologist and neurointerventional surgeon at Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, commented for Medical News Today:

“The longitudinal, prospective study design over 30 years limits bias. The number and forms of cognitive assessments applied to this large cohort during this period also enabled a thorough evaluation of brain health in multiple domains such as executive functioning, processing speed, and verbal learning and memory.”

At the 30-year point, 3,146 participants, with a mean age of 55 years, underwent a range of cognitive assessments. In total, 147 (4.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}) had developed one or more premature CVD events, 126 of which were coronary heart disease or stroke. The mean age of the first CVD event was 48.4 years.

Those who had premature CVD were more likely to be male, older, Black, have had access to less education, have lower household income, and have more risk factors for CVD, such as poor diet and low levels of physical activity.

Researchers tested participants in verbal fluency, global cognition, verbal memory, processing speed, and executive function.

They adjusted for demographics, education, literacy, household income, depressive symptoms, physical activity, diet, and APOE — a gene that is linked to an increased risk of dementia — when analyzing their findings.

In addition, they assessed 5-year cognitive decline in 2,722 people who underwent testing at both the 25- and 30-year points.

At the end of the study, 663 participants also underwent MRI brain scans to assess white matter hyperintensities (WMH), which are associated with cognitive impairment. The researchers also used diffusion tensor imaging to assess participants’ brain health.

Only a small proportion of those undergoing MRI scans had early CVD, as lead author Dr. Xiaqing Jiang, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, told MNT.

“Among those with MRI, 16 participants had premature CVD. More people will develop premature CVD events as they age as most participants were still under 60,” she said.

People who had premature CVD performed worse on all cognitive tests, except verbal fluency. The association was strongest for processing speed and executive function.

However, in women, premature CVD was significantly associated with lower verbal fluency — an association that did not occur in men. Black men with premature CVD had a greater decrease in executive function than what occurred in others with premature CVD.

Those with early CVD were almost three times as likely to show accelerated cognitive decline. Researchers detected it in 13{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those with premature CVD, compared with 5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those without premature CVD.

Dr. Giovanni Schifitto, professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, not involved in this study, explained why early CVD might have these effects.

“Early CVD risk factors also affect cerebral perfusion (brain vessel disease) which can lead to neuronal dysfunction and death,” he told us.

“Cardiovascular disease is closely linked to [the] progression of cerebrovascular disease due to alteration of cerebral blood flow, increased cerebral inflammation and microvascular stress, shared vascular risk factors, and in many cases, shared pathophysiology,” explained Dr. Narayanan.

“Clinically silent white matter lesions, mild cognitive impairment, and overt vascular dementia are linked to increasing burden of these vascular risk factors,” she added.

The researchers also found a significant association between early CVD and changes in brain white matter. Changes in white matter often occur in dementia patients.

“In this biracial cohort of middle-aged adults, we found that having premature CVD was associated with worse cognitive performance on most domains, accelerated cognitive decline over 5 years, and worse white matter health, which was not entirely driven by stroke/ TIA [transient ischaemic attack] and even independent of cardiovascular risk factors.”

– Dr. Xiaqing Jiang

This study highlights the importance of minimizing risk factors for CVD early in adulthood.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend increasing physical activity, following a healthy diet, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight to keep the heart healthy.

And, as Dr. Schifitto pointed out, “[t]here is emergent literature that CVD risk factors should be aggressively treated even at a young age to protect the brain.”

Dr. Jiang agreed, saying that “CVD prevention and intervention, including preventing cardiovascular and other risk factors, may start as early as young adulthood, which may be critical to prevent early divergences of cognitive function and brain health.”

“More research is needed to understand why premature CVD is independently associated with cognition and how these associations evolve over the life course as people get older,” she added.

October 28, 2022

‘Love hormone’ oxytocin may improve cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s

An elderly man and woman kiss under an umbrella to correspond to an article about dementia and the love hormone. — A new examine discovered that a derivative of oxytocin delivered by means of nasal passages enhanced memory in cognitively impaired mice. Laurence Monneret/Getty Pictures

Alzheimer’s illness is a frequent sort of dementia characterised by cognitive impairments and behavioral changes.
Latest cure alternatives for Alzheimer’s are confined to drugs that assist regulate the signs or symptoms.
A new examine has identified that a spinoff of oxytocin, also acknowledged as the ‘love hormone,’ delivered via nasal passages improved memory in cognitively impaired mice.
The scientists counsel that their conclusions could guide to practical remedy choices for Alzheimer’s in the clinical environment.

According to a 2021 Alzheimer’s Affiliation report, estimates in the United States indicate that 6.2 million individuals age 65 and more mature are dwelling with Alzheimer’s illness (Ad). The report implies this selection could develop to 13.8 million by 2060 unless helpful prevention or treatment options emerge.

At the moment, the induce of Alzheimer’s condition is not completely recognized. However some investigation implies the accumulation of amyloid B peptides (AB) in the brain may well engage in a role in the improvement of the condition.

Nonetheless, according to a 2022 Nationwide Institute on Getting older (NIA) statement, Advert is a advanced dysfunction that might involve other cellular variations. In addition to AB accumulation, proteins which includes tau, TDP43, and alpha-synuclein might also be a variable. Furthermore, inflammation, genetics, environmental aspects, and vascular changes may well also enjoy a function.

Now, Alzheimer’s remedy possibilities are confined to prescription drugs that may well assist regulate cognitive and behavioral symptoms affiliated with the ailment.

Now, a new review by scientists at the Tokyo College of Science uncovered that a mobile-penetrating oxytocin by-product administered in the nasal passages of memory-impaired mice reversed the rodent’s cognitive impairment.

Whilst the study used mice and not human individuals, the conclusions advise that oxytocin could perhaps cut down the cognitive impairments connected with Alzheimer’s condition.

Oxytocin is a hormone responsible for bonding behaviors and intimate attachment. Hence, it is normally referred to as the “love hormone.” Oxytocin also plays a important part in childbirth and nursing.

In a past study by the Tokyo University of Science scientists, the experts located that oxytocin could reverse the consequences of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in the hippocampus of mice.

Constructing on these conclusions, the investigate crew sought to take a look at the consequences of oxytocin in Aβ-induced memory-impaired mice.

Particularly, the researchers required to determine whether or not oxytocin would impact spatial memory.

1st, the researchers had the mice complete Y-maze and Morris water maze (MWM) checks to study spatial performing and spatial reference memory. The crew also evaluated the rodent’s locomotor action employing a multi-channel action-counting technique.

Then, in just one group of rodents, the team utilized intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration to deliver oxytocin to the mind tissue.

Mainly because of the ICV technique’s invasive nature and impracticality in a medical setting, the researchers also made use of intranasal (IN) shipping and delivery to administer oxytocin in a different group of mice.

According to the analyze, peptides like oxytocin have very poor blood-mind barrier permeability — that means they just can’t effortlessly enter mind tissue.

Hence, the staff used an oxytocin by-product containing mobile-penetrating peptides and a penetration-accelerating sequence for the nasal supply experiments.

In addition, the researchers labeled the spinoff with fluorescein isothiocyanate so they could see how it dispersed in the brain tissue with imaging tactics.

Soon after the oxytocin-dealt with mice carried out the spatial memory assessments, the researchers uncovered that the mice who gained oxytocin as a result of ICV administration showed advancements in memory in the two the Y-maze and MWM checks.

Mice that been given IN administration of the oxytocin by-product only showed memory advancements in the Y-maze check.

Even now, by observing the fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled oxytocin, the scientists observed that the oxytocin derivative was dispersed during the rodent’s mind tissue immediately after IN administration.

According to the study authors, the effects counsel that IN supply of the oxytocin derivative effectively reaches mind tissue and could be a useful remedy for cognitive impairment in medical configurations.

“My workforce is the first to demonstrate that the oxytocin by-product can make improvements to [B-amyloid peptide]-induced memory impairment in mice,” examine senior writer Jun-Ichiro Oka, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the Tokyo University of Science, mentioned in a information release.

“This suggests that oxytocin may perhaps enable cut down the cognitive drop we see in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Just after reviewing the research, James Giordano, Ph.D., professor of neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Healthcare Centre, Washington, not concerned in the research, explained to Medical New These days:

“This is an important paper in that it demonstrates a putative job for the neuropeptide oxytocin in both of those protecting and considerably restorative results against (amyloid-induced) neurodegeneration. Further more, it reveals that each endogenous oxytocin [and] exogenously administered oxytocin can exert this sort of outcomes in an animal product.”

“Interestingly, it is recognized that a associated neuropeptide, vasopressin, also contributes to memory formation and processing in the mammalian mind, and this analyze might get rid of new light on the interactive roles of neuropeptides in brain well being, safety versus oxidative stress, and in sustaining neurocognitive functions.”

– James Giordano, Ph.D., professor of neurology

Dr. Ajay Verma, Ph.D., a general partner with Development Venture Engineering and previous professor of neurology at the Uniformed Companies University of the Health and fitness Sciences, also not included in the analyze, instructed MNT:

“This exploration by Akiyoshi Saitoh’s group from the Tokyo College of Science could have implications for investigation in Alzheimer’s ailment, as well as brain drug shipping. These researchers have previously claimed useful effects of oxytocin on isolated brain tissue and now display this in a stay animal design of amyloid-induced memory dysfunction.”

“Delivering peptides this kind of as oxytocin to the brain is tough, and so these scientists labored on novel modifications to aid this shipping and delivery,” Dr. Verma said.

“Intranasal (IN) delivery of peptide prescription drugs has extensive been sought as a noninvasive route to the brain, and although this tactic generally operates perfectly in animals with long snouts, it has historically not translated perfectly to primates, such as humans. This examine exhibits that a modified edition of oxytocin with improved cell uptake was powerful in the memory decline model when presented by means of intranasal dosing, though the native variation of oxytocin was not.”

– Dr. Ajay Verma, Ph.D., neurologist

Dr. Verma additional that several drug mechanisms suggested by animal models have not translated into added benefits in medical trials.

“We will have to wait and see how this is translated in people,” he mentioned.

“However, this study also implies that certain peptide modifications may well assistance produce prescription drugs a lot more efficiently across the nasal-mind barrier, and this expertise could be utilized to increase mind delivery of numerous prescription drugs.”

Posted on September 29, 2022
Passion, exercise, and relationships protect against cognitive decline

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In a recent paper, researchers reviewed studies linking three key lifestyle factors to brain health. Mint Images RF/Getty Images

In a recent paper, researchers reviewed studies linking exercise, relationships, and passion to brain health.

They found reasonable evidence that all three factors offer protection against cognitive decline.

Their review noted that randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm their findings.

Changes to cognitive function during the aging process are related to the brain’s white and gray matter volume.

Gray matter consists of biological structures, including neuronal cell bodies, synapses, and capillaries, whereas white matter consists of myelinated axons, through which signals are carried between neurons.

Gray matter volume steadily declines at around 10 years of age. Research suggests that medically and cognitively healthier individuals experience less brain atrophy than less healthy individuals.

Studies also show that regular exercise, strong relationships, and passion are key to maintaining a healthy brain during the aging process.

In a recent paper, researchers performed a thorough review of the extensive body of literature available on the link between brain physiology development, and physical activity, social relationships, and passion. Based on the evidence, they report that increased passion for an area or skill leads to more physical activity, more social relationships, and better well-being.

“[From our research], we have found that passion- or strong interest- may be a [key motivational factor for achievement and well-being] as it sets the direction of the arrow,“ Hermundur Sigmundsson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the lead author, told Medical News Today.

“Therefore, we say: Find your passion and develop it! Grit, or perseverance, is the size and strength of the arrow. Find your interest area and focus on the process. [Be ready to] take challenges! Challenges are key for development!” he added.

The paper was recently published in a special issue of Brain Sciences.

Observational studies indicate that an active lifestyle is helpful for maintaining cognitive and neurological health across age groups — especially in higher order processes such as switching between tasks, working memory, and cognitive inhibition.

The researchers noted in their paper that intervention studies had confirmed these findings.

For example, older adults who underwent 1 hour of aerobic training 3 times per week for 6 months had increased gray and white matter volume compared to controls.

Other research shows that physical activity increases functionality in brain areas linked to attention and attention control, daily life activities, and cognitive reserve, a reserve of thinking abilities that acts as a buffer against age-related cognitive decline.

The new paper points to studies that suggest that maintaining social ties enhances cognitive reserve through cognitive strategies, greater neural growth, and synaptic density, which protect against pathological processes.

Imaging studies have demonstrated that larger social networks are linked to a larger orbitofrontal cortex — involved in decision-making — and amygdala volume.

These studies also demonstrate that less socially active people have a greater number of white matter lesions.

In addition, randomized control trials have shown that social relations may enhance cognitive reserve, and interventions have shown that increased social interaction in communities is linked to better cognitive function and larger brain volume.

Other studies, however, indicate no link between social relations and cognitive function later in life. The researchers thus suggest that more robust evidence from randomized controlled trials is needed to demonstrate causality.

In their paper, the researchers defined passion as “a strong feeling toward a personally important value/preference that motivates intentions and behaviors to express that value/preference.”

Other research has found that passion is related to more deliberate practice among football players and better well-being and performance among workers.

The researchers also noted that passion might thus be important for maintaining neural plasticity. They wrote: “…hence repetition, use it or lose it, use it and improve it and intensity.”

An example of this is someone who is passionate about learning new languages. The researchers wrote that passion could motivate an individual to practice the second language more and thus strengthen their gray matter, neural cells, and connections.

They also noted that psychological traits such as grit and a growth mindset have also been linked to the development of gray matter in different parts of the brain.

The researchers further cited a number of articles that suggest impaired motor function, antisocial behavior, depression, and anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure) are common in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders and in the natural aging process.

They thus suggested that a “vicious cycle” may be at play: less physical activity may promote less social engagement and lower well-being.

“Passion gives direction to the area of interest, which could be related to the dopamine system, which is central in attention, learning, goal-directed behaviors, and rewards. Passion may be providing the focus essential for long-term goal achievement,” wrote the researchers.

When asked how physical activity, socializing, and passion improve brain health, Art Kramer, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the department of psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, not involved in the research, told MNT:

“We know more about the mechanisms that underlie physical activity than social interactions or learning novel skills since there is a multi-decade literature on physical activity effects on brain health and learning and memory because there are excellent animal models for physical activity (often wheel running with rodents).”

“The animal literature suggests a number of brain changes associated with physical activity, including new neurons in brain regions that support memory, more connections among neurons (called synapses), and increases in vascular structure. Increases in neurotransmitters and nerve growth factors (among other changes) have also been associated with increases in physical activity in animal models.”

– Art Kramer, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The researchers concluded that physical exercise, social interactions, and passion are key to maintaining brain health.

When asked about the paper’s limitations, Dr. Sigmundsson noted that their article is just a review and that intervention studies focusing on increasing passion, physical activity, and social engagement need to be carried out to confirm their hypotheses.

Dr. Kramer added: “There are a number of limitations, including how best to personalize these factors to enhance cognitive and brain function in individuals as well as how best to combine intellectual engagement, physical activity and social interactions to maximize their benefits across the lifespan and with non-patients and patients alike.”

Posted on September 24, 2022October 10, 2025
Balanced meal timing may benefit cognitive health, study shows

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A new study suggests that eating three relatively similar meals throughout the day may help prevent cognitive decline. AzmanL/Getty Images

A new study finds that meeting our daily energy needs through three relatively similar meals may be the best way to avoid cognitive decline.

Skipping breakfast, according to the study, is associated with a decline in cognitive health.

The study also finds that tilting your energy intake toward one meal or another is not associated with a rapid cognitive decline, but it does not benefit your cognition as well as a balanced three meals.

Food is fuel. It provides us the energy our bodies need to function and also to remain healthy.

Previous research has focused on how the quality of the energy — the food — we consume can affect our health, and experts have investigated cardiovascular and metabolic health outcomes associated with when we eat.

However, there has been little research exploring the ways in which the distribution of our daily energy intake may influence long-term cognitive health, and whether it has any impact on the risk of developing dementia.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 55 million people worldwide have dementia, with 10 million new cases being diagnosed each year. As the world’s population is aging — the proportion of older people is rising steadily — the WHO estimates 78 million people will have dementia by 2030, and 139 million by 2050.

To better understand the effects that energy intake and meal timing have on cognition, a new study takes a look at the potential effect on cognitive decline of different meal schedules, or temporal patterns of energy intake (TPEI).

The results show that consuming three balanced meals each is associated with better cognitive function, compared to other, less evenly distributed ways of consuming one’s total energy intake, or TEI.

“To our knowledge, this study is one of the few population-based studies that explore the association of TPEI and cognitive decline, although accumulating studies have linked TPEI to health outcomes, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular health,” the authors wrote.

The study also demonstrates that skipping breakfast is associated with worse cognitive function and faster cognitive decline.

The study was recently published in Life Metabolism.

The researchers drew their conclusions from an analysis of data from the 1997–2006 China Health and Nutrition Survey.

Included in that data were the meal habits of 3,342 people in China for whom the survey had collected up to four repeat entries over 10 years. Individuals were at least 55 years of age, with the average age being 62.2.

The authors note that 61.2{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} lived in rural areas, and 13.6{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} had high school or higher degrees.

People with severe cognitive decline were excluded from the study.

At the start of the study period, each participant received both a dietary assessment and a phone-based cognitive test in which they were rated for their immediate and delayed word recall, backward counting, and their agility at subtracting 7 from supplied figures.

Cognitive scores ran from 0 points to 27 points, with 27 points representing the highest level of cognitive health.

The researchers categorized individuals’ meal timing into six eating patterns:

Evenly distributed: People balanced their energy intake across three roughly equivalent meals per day. They consumed 28.5{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} of their daily energy at breakfast, 36.3{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} at lunch, and 33.8{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} at dinner.

Breakfast-dominant: People ate three meals, but consumed the greatest share of energy, 49.5{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} at breakfast.

Lunch-dominant: People ate three meals, but consumed the greatest share of energy, 64.3{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} at lunch.

Dinner-dominant: People ate three meals, but consumed the greatest share of energy, 64.5{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} at dinner.

Snack-rich: People consumed 36.8{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} of their TEI from wholesale snacks.

Breakfast-skipping: People ate little or no breakfast, consuming just 5.9{d040ed73ee31b4d97d4778e2747680dd00206ecb1faa48dddeb3a627ea57adea} of their TEI.

The breakfast-skipping pattern was linked to a cognitive decline of 0.14 cognitive-test points a year, compared to the evenly distributed pattern.

No other similar declines were seen for other patterns.

Dr. Clifford Segil, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, not involved in the study, described this finding to Medical News Today as “fascinating.”

“I think the take-home would be that skipping a meal is worse if you choose to skip the meal at breakfast,” he said.

However, when the researchers modified the possible TPEIs into just four patterns — evenly distributed, breakfast-dominant, lunch-dominant, and dinner-dominant — all of them except for the first were linked to lower cognitive function.

None of them were associated, however, with an accelerated loss of function.

According to Dr. Segil, the study might “unintentionally support that we have excess calories, and assuming we have excess calories, we have obesity. And I think that’s where most of this kind of research has been done, on excess calories in general health.”

Still, he noted, the study generally aligns with other research indicating that “dividing your energy and taking it in even meals improves short-term cognitive function.”

“That’s supportive of what we’ve heard for other medical conditions.”

Previous research has indicated that meal timing affects the body’s circadian clock. In mammals, the circadian clock resides in two clusters of nerve cells called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), which are located in a region at the base of the brain called the anterior hypothalamus.

Dr. Hoon-Ki Sung, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology at the University of Toronto, explained to MNT:

“We have two different kinds of internal clock (circadian rhythm). One is located in the brain (central clock or central circadian clock), and the other clock in some peripheral tissues, including fat, liver, intestine, and retina (peripheral circadian clock). While the central clock is mainly regulated by light, the peripheral clock can be regulated by multiple factors, including central clock and feeding.”

Dr. Sung suggests circadian nutrition may refer “to a circadian rhythm diet or circadian diet.”

He said this means “you are keeping the feeding rhythms synchronized with your internal clock.” He noted that eating this way can include three meals, “as well as meal [or] energy intake between meal times.”

Other studies have linked meal timing to short-term cognitive function improvement.

The Western three-meals-a-day schedule grew out of the needs of employers and workers during the Industrial Revolution. Before that, two large meals a day, based on household and farming tasks, were more common.

“I think common sense says you should eat a meal before the time of the day that you’re going to be the busiest,” added Dr. Segil. “Some people are busy in the morning, and that’s why a big breakfast [is often] advised, especially for school-age kids.”

Be that as it may, more research on the long-term benefits of meal timing on cognitive health is still needed.

“Cognitive issues are multifactorial, and there’s still a very limited understanding,” Dr. Segil concluded.

Posted on April 4, 2022
Cognitive impairment may have doubled in the last decade

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A new study suggests the incidence of cognitive impairment has more than doubled over the last 10 years. Maskot/Getty Images

Researchers investigated the incidence of memory concerns and mild cognitive impairment over 10 years among United Kingdom healthcare providers.

They found that while memory concerns have remained stable, reports of cognitive impairment more than doubled between 2009 and 2018.

They say this is likely due to a series of healthcare strategies to better identify and care for dementia in the U.K.

Dementia is characterized by a gradual deterioration in cognitive function, impacting memory, judgment, language, and other cognitive abilities.Over 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are around 10 million new cases per year.

Initial concerns that point to dementia include subjective memory concerns (SMC) — when no clear impairment is found from psychometric testing, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — when there is objective evidence of decline.Both SMC and MCI increase dementia risk.

Until now, few studies had examined people who present symptoms of SMC and MCI to healthcare providers, and even fewer have explored their prognoses.

Recently, researchers from University College London examined records of SMI and MCI and their progression into dementia.

They found that at a 3-year follow-up, 45.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those with SMC and 51.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those with MCI received a dementia diagnosis.

They also found that rates of SMC and MCI as recorded by healthcare providers are lower than those reported in community surveys, suggesting that a minority of people who experience memory loss consult their general practitioner (GP) and have it recorded.

“Given the increased understanding of the importance of cognitive concerns over the past decade, and how this may signify incipient dementia, it is likely that the increase in recording of cognitive decline is a result of doctors’ better understanding of the need for more detailed assessment of objective cognitive function,” Yen Ying Lim, Ph.D., associate professor at Monash University, not involved in the study, told MNT.

The study was published in Clinical Epidemiology.

The researchers used the IQVIA medical research database, which collects over 18 million anonymized patient records from over 790 U.K. primary care facilities.

They used data from 1,310,838 individuals with memory concerns and 1,348,796 individuals with cognitive decline. The people were between 65 and 99 years old and contributed data to the database between January 2009 and December 2018.

Data included diagnostic records of SMC, MCI, and dementia, alongside covariates including age, sex, and social deprivation.

The researchers noted that SMC reports remained stable over time and affected 4.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of individuals. However, they increased with age from 3.66 cases per 1,000 people among those aged 65–69 to 17.89 cases per 1,000 between 80 and 99 years old.

They also noted that females and those with higher levels of social deprivation were more likely to record SMC.

Over the study period, 1.1{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the participants reported MCI, with 38.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of these people also reporting SMC.

Unlike SMC, MCI reports increased over time, from 1.32 cases per 1,000 people in 2009 to 3.5 cases per 1,000 people in 2018.

Rates of MCI also increased with age from 0.65 cases per 1,000 people aged 65–69 to 5.17 cases per 1,000 among those aged 80–99.

To explain the stable rate of SMC records alongside the increase in those for MCI, the researchers noted that the National Healthcare System (NHS) in the U.K. published three national dementia strategies between 2009 and 2015, including financial incentives to diagnose dementia.

“Of interest to me is that several important policies were implemented in 2012 to improve assessment and increase rates of diagnosis,” Tracey Gendron, MS, Ph.D., chair and associate professor at the Department of Gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University, not involved in the study, told MNT.

“With an increased emphasis on increasing diagnosis, it is logical that increased reporting would follow in the decade since. A limitation is that it could be that doctors that receive more training are now better able to identify the signs and symptoms of cognitive decline and potentially miss reporting these cases prior to receiving the training,” she explained.

The researchers added that recordings of SMC are more in alignment with trends in dementia incidence, which have reportedly declined by 13{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} each decade over the last 25 years.

They nevertheless say that fewer cases of SMC were recorded in primary care than in the community at large, perhaps due to older people’s decision-making in seeking help for memory concerns and under-identification in primary care settings.

The researchers concluded that SMC and MCI predict a higher risk of developing dementia and that recording cases sooner increases the opportunity for early intervention.

“A key limitation is that as the authors only analyzed health records, they were unable to determine: (a) the nature of cognitive decline (e.g., memory, or other cognitive domains?), and (b) the magnitude of cognitive decline (i.e., how large that decline was over X years),” noted Dr. Lim.

“They also acknowledged that the classification of cognitive decline was based on a clinician’s ‘formal or informal cognitive assessment.’ This is very non-specific.”

“The authors have also referenced the observation from Wolters et al., 2020, that dementia incidence has declined by 13{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} per decade over the past 25 years, yet do not provide any discussion around how their findings on increases in cognitive decline run in contrast to this observation. While not all cognitive decline is related to dementia, all dementias are characterized by impairment in one or more domains of cognition,” she concluded.

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