Dietary interventions as a neuroprotective therapy for the delay of the onset of cognitive decline in older adults: Evaluation of the evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v7i10.370Abstract
Background: The relationship between nutrition and cognitive functioning is unclear, especially in elderly populations as many elderly people with cognitive impairment have low blood levels of some nutrients even in the absence of malnourishment. The objective of this review was to assess the evidence from systematic reviews of human studies on the effectiveness of dietary interventions as monotherapies in delaying the onset of cognitive decline in older adults.
Scope and approach: Evidence-based methodologies were used to gather and assess the highest levels of evidence that evaluated the effects of administration of any dose of the individual dietary interventions as neuroprotective agents for any duration. The search strategy was designed to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses published from 1990 to December 2015. There were no language restrictions as part of the inclusion criteria.
Key Findings and Conclusions: This review provides the current state of knowledge from systematic reviews on the effects on cognition of acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, choline, inositol compounds, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols, which are all commonly studied nutrients for neurocognitive effects. A critical evaluation of the current evidence from systematic reviews indicated that there are no clinically-relevant effects from supplementation with these nutrients on delaying the onset of cognitive decline in older adults.
Keywords: diet, cognition, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, nutrient
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