No Effect of Calorie Restriction or Dietary Patterns on Spatial Working Memory During a 2-Year Intervention: A Secondary Analysis of the CALERIE Trial

Rachel E Silver; Susan B Roberts; Arthur F Kramer; Kenneth K H Chui; Sai Krupa Das

doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.019

No Effect of Calorie Restriction or Dietary Patterns on Spatial Working Memory During a 2-Year Intervention: A Secondary Analysis of the CALERIE Trial

J Nutr. 2023 Mar;153(3):733-740. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.019. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Authors

Rachel E Silver¹, Susan B Roberts², Arthur F Kramer³, Kenneth K H Chui⁴, Sai Krupa Das⁵

Affiliations

¹ Energy Metabolism Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA; Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
² Energy Metabolism Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA; Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Center for Cognitive and Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Energy Metabolism Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA; Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: sai.das@tufts.edu.

PMID: 36805108
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.019

Abstract

Background: The effect of calorie restriction (CR) on cognitive function is not well understood, and the impact of the dietary patterns consumed during CR has not been investigated.

Objectives: We analyzed the combined association of CR and dietary quality with spatial working memory (SWM) in healthy adults without obesity.

Methods: The Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE) trial was a 2-y, multisite clinical trial. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00427193. Participants were randomized to a 25% reduction in EI (n = 143) or an ad libitum Control (n = 76). The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) captured dietary quality, with a lower DII and higher HEI score indicating a healthier diet. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery battery was used to assess SWM. Longitudinal associations between each dietary pattern index and SWM for CR and Control were assessed by multivariable negative binomial models that included baseline, 12-mo, and 24-mo visits.

Results: Participants were aged 38.1 ± 7.2 y with a BMI of 25.1 ± 1.7 kg/m². A total of 70% of the participants were female. Baseline mean DII and HEI scores were -0.15 (range: -3.77, 4.21) and 59.1 (24.1, 91.0) and did not differ between groups. Improvements in DII and HEI were significantly different between CR and Control over 2 y (both P-interaction = 0.001). In longitudinal analyses, there was no association of either index with SWM. Furthermore, though within-group improvements in SWM were observed at 12 mo, there was no statistically significant difference between CR (SWM errors: 9.0; 95% CI: 1.9, 41.6) and Control (11.7; 95% CI: 2.6, 53.5; P > 0.99), holding DII constant. Comparable results were observed at 24 mo and for the HEI.

Conclusions: Dietary quality during CR was not associated with measures of SWM over 2 y in healthy adults without obesity. These results suggest that, in healthy populations, dietary patterns and CR may have a limited impact on working memory. Further research is required to understand the concurrent effect of these nutritional strategies.

Keywords: calorie restriction; cognition; dietary patterns; weight loss; working memory.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Caloric Restriction*
Diet
Energy Intake
Female
Humans
Male
Memory, Short-Term*
Obesity

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00427193