Inflammatory potential of diet is associated with cognitive function in an older adult Korean population

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between the inflammatory potential of diet and the quality of cognitive function in an older adult Korean population.

Methods: A total of 239 participants (88 men and 151 women) ages ≥65 y were selected from various health centers in Korea. To assess the inflammatory potential of diet, Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) scores were computed based on a single 24-h recall. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were fit to estimate the association between E-DII scores and the degree of cognitive function.

Results: E-DII scores were significantly inversely associated with Korean Mini-Mental State Examination score in both unadjusted and adjusted models, after controlling for sex, age, body mass index, sleep hours, supplement use, education level, self-reported health conditions, history of dementia, and physical activity (β = -1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.95, -0.71, P <0.0001; β = -0.58, 95% CI = -1.11, -0.06, P = 0.03, respectively). Participants in the highest E-DII tertile had increased risk for mild or moderate cognitive impairment compared with those in the lowest E-DII tertile (adjusted odds ratio 6.32, 95% CI 1.18-33.78; P for trend = 0.0031).

Conclusions: Higher E-DII scores were associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment, suggesting that consuming a proinflammatory diet is associated with increased risk for cognitive impairment in the older Korean adults.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII); Inflammation; K-MMSE; Older Koreans.