Metabolites associated with sugary diet linked to cognitive function in older adults

Six metabolites — four related to sugar — were consistently associated with lower global cognitive function, researchers reported in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Tamar Sofer, PhD, director of the Biostatistics Core Program in Sleep Medicine Epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues studied the replication and generalization of previously identified metabolites associated with cognitive function in multiple races and ethnicities, while also assessing the contribution of diet to these associations.

Sofer and colleagues tested metabolite-cognitive function associated with American Hispanic/Latino adults (n = 2,222) from the Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, as well as European (n = 1,365) and Black Americans (n = 478) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

The authors applied Mendelian randomization analyses to assess associations between the metabolites and cognitive function, as well as between the Mediterranean diet and cognitive function.

The six reported metabolites were consistently associated with lower global cognitive function across all races and ethnicities. One metabolite, beta-cryptoxanthin, which is strongly linked to fruit consumption, was associated with higher global cognitive function among Hispanic/Latino individuals.

“It is possible that these metabolites are biomarkers of a more direct relationship between diet and cognitive function,” Einat Granot-Hershkovitz, PhD, study co-author and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, said in a press release from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

According to the researchers, although associations between metabolites and cognitive function were made, their results showed weak casual effects between specific metabolites and global cognitive function.

“While the causal effect seen in our study may be weak, repeated research has shown that the Mediterranean diet is associated with better health outcomes, including cognitive health,” Sofer said in the release. “Our study further supports the importance of a healthy diet towards safeguarding cognitive function, consistent across races and ethnicities.”

References:

Diet could play a role in cognitive function across diverse races and ethnicities. https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/research-briefs-detail?id=4257. Published Sept. 16, 2022. Accessed Sept. 19, 2022.