Nutrient intake and plasma ?-amyloid.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The widely reported associations between various nutrients and cognition may occur through many biologic pathways including those of ?-amyloid (A?). However, little is known about the possible associations of dietary factors with plasma A?40 or A?42. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between nutrient intake and plasma A? levels.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, plasma A?40 and A?42 and dietary data were obtained from 1,219 cognitively healthy elderly (age >65 years), who were participants in a community-based multiethnic cohort. Information on dietary intake was obtained 1.2 years, on average, before A? assay. The associations of plasma A?40 and A?42 levels and dietary intake of 10 nutrients were examined using linear regression models, adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, education, caloric intake, apolipoprotein E genotype, and recruitment wave. Nutrients examined included saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, ?-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), ?-6 PUFA, vitamin E, vitamin C, ?-carotene, vitamin B(12), folate, and vitamin D.

Results

In unadjusted models that simultaneously included all nutrients, higher intake of ?-3 PUFA was associated with lower levels of A?40 (? = -24.7, p < 0.001) and lower levels of A?42 (? = -12.3, p < 0.001). In adjusted models, ?-3 PUFA remained a strong predictor of A?42 (? = -7.31, p = 0.02), whereas its association with A?40 was attenuated (? = -11.96, p = 0.06). Other nutrients were not associated with plasma A? levels.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that higher dietary intake of ?-3 PUFA is associated with lower plasma levels of A?42, a profile linked with reduced risk of incident AD and slower cognitive decline in our cohort.

SUBMITTER: Gu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3369517 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature