Nutrition for dementia prevention: a state of the art update for clinicians.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Townsend R; School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.; Fairley A; School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.; Gregory S; Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.; Scottish Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, UK.; Ritchie C; Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.; Scottish Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, UK.; Brain Health and Neurodegenerative Medicine, Mackenzie Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.; Stevenson E; School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.; Shannon OM; Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Population Health Sciences Institute, Centre for Healthier Lives, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
- Source
- Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0375655 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1468-2834 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00020729 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Age Ageing Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Background and Objectives: Dementia prevalence continues to rise. It is therefore essential to provide feasible and effective recommendations to encourage healthy brain ageing and reduce dementia risk across the population. Appropriate nutrition represents a potential strategy to mitigate dementia risk and could be recommended by clinicians as part of mid-life health checks and other health initiatives to reduce dementia prevalence. The purpose of this review is to provide a clinician-focused update on the current state of the knowledge on nutrition and dementia prevention.
Methods: Narrative review.
Results: Strong evidence exists to support the consumption of healthy, plant-based dietary patterns (e.g. Mediterranean, MIND or Nordic diet) for maintaining cognitive function and reducing dementia risk in later life and is supported by dementia prevention guideline from leading public health bodies (e.g. World Health Organization). Emerging evidence suggests potential cognitive benefits of consuming specific nutrients/foods (e.g. n-3 fatty acids or fish, flavonols and B-vitamins) and multi-nutrient compounds (e.g. Fortasyn Connect). Challenges and opportunities for integrating nutritional/dietary interventions for dementia prevention into clinical practice are explored in this review.
Conclusions: Appropriate nutrition represents an important factor to help facilitate healthy cognitive ageing and allay dementia risk. The information provided in this article can help clinicians provide informed opinions on appropriate nutritional strategies as part of mid-life Health Checks and other risk reduction initiatives.
(© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)