The association of dietary and nutrient patterns on neurocognitive decline: A systematic review of MRI and PET studies

Lizanne Arnoldy; Sarah Gauci; Lauren M Young; Wolfgang Marx; Helen Macpherson; Andrew Pipingas; Oren Civier; David J White

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2023.101892

The association of dietary and nutrient patterns on neurocognitive decline: A systematic review of MRI and PET studies

Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Jun:87:101892. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101892. Epub 2023 Mar 5.

Authors

Lizanne Arnoldy¹, Sarah Gauci², Lauren M Young², Wolfgang Marx³, Helen Macpherson⁴, Andrew Pipingas⁵, Oren Civier⁶, David J White⁷

Affiliations

¹ Centre of Human Psychopharmacology, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia. Electronic address: larnoldy@swin.edu.au.
² Centre of Human Psychopharmacology, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia; IMPACT - the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Food & Mood Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
³ IMPACT - the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Food & Mood Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
⁴ Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Centre of Human Psychopharmacology, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia.
⁶ Swinburne Neuroimaging, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Centre of Human Psychopharmacology, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia; Swinburne Neuroimaging, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia.

PMID: 36878405
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101892

Abstract

Background: As the global population ages, there has been a growing incidence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. More recently, studies exploring the relationship between dietary patterns and neuroimaging outcomes have received particular attention. This systematic literature review provides a structured overview of the association between dietary and nutrient patterns on neuroimaging outcomes and cognitive markers in middle-aged to older adults. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to find relevant articles published from 1999 to date using the following databases Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria for the articles comprised studies reporting on the association between dietary patterns and neuroimaging outcomes, which includes both specific pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases such as Aβ and tau and nonspecific markers such as structural MRI and glucose metabolism. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Quality Assessment tool from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The results were then organized into a summary of results table, collated based on synthesis without meta-analysis. After conducting the search, 6050 records were extracted and screened for eligibility, with 107 eligible for full-text screening and 42 articles ultimately being included in this review. The results of the systematic review indicate that there is some evidence suggesting that healthy dietary and nutrient patterns were associated with neuroimaging measures, indicative of a protective influence on neurodegeneration and brain ageing. Conversely, unhealthy dietary and nutrient patterns showed evidence pointing to decreased brain volumes, poorer cognition and increased Aβ deposition. Future research should focus on sensitive neuroimaging acquisition and analysis methods, to study early neurodegenerative changes and identify critical periods for interventions and prevention.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no, CRD42020194444).

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Brain volume; Cognition; Hippocampus; Neuroimaging; Nutrition.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Brain* / diagnostic imaging
Brain* / pathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Middle Aged
Neuroimaging / methods
Nutrients
Positron-Emission Tomography
United States