SYDNEY, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- An unhealthy Western-style diet was associated with a faster cognitive decline in people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease, new Australian-led research has found.
As the world grapples with the growing public health challenge of dementia, researchers are increasingly studying lifestyle factors that may help maintain brain health with age, according to a statement released Tuesday by Australia's Murdoch University.
Using data from the Western Australia Memory Study, the team followed 185 older adults in Perth, the state capital of Western Australia, for more than seven years, examining whether dietary patterns were associated with changes in different areas of cognition while considering participants' genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers classified participants' diets into an unhealthy Western diet, including red and processed meat, chips, pizza, sweets, refined grains and beer, and a healthier prudent diet, including fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, garlic and whole grains.
None of the participants had diagnosed dementia when they entered the study, led by Murdoch University and Alzheimer's Research Australia. They were tested for genetic susceptibility factors including the apolipoprotein E (APOE) variant, the strongest common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
The findings, published in Nutrients, showed that among people carrying the APOE ε4 allele, greater adherence to a Western dietary pattern was associated with a faster decline in attention over time.
"We did not find significant associations between the healthier prudent dietary pattern and cognitive decline, or between the Western dietary pattern and cognitive decline among people who did not carry APOE ε4," said lead author Carolina Blagojevic Castro from Murdoch University's Center for Healthy Ageing.
"What we eat may be one part of a much larger picture of healthy brain ageing," she said, adding that further research was needed before these findings can be translated into specific dietary recommendations based on genetic risk. ■
