The elderly population is growing at increased rates and is expected to double in size by 2050 in the United States and worldwide. The consumption of healthy foods and enriched diets have been associated with improved cognition and brain health. The key nutrients common to many healthy foods and diets are the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 FAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We explored whether omega-3 FA levels are associated with brain volume and cognition. Forty healthy, cognitively normal, Seventh-day Adventist older adults (mean age 76.3 years at MRI scan, 22 females) completed neurocognitive testing, a blood draw, and structural neuroimaging from 2016 to 2018. EPA and an overall omega-3 index were associated with individual measures of delayed recall (RAVLT-DR) and processing speed (Stroop Color) as well as entorhinal cortex thickness. EPA, DHA, and the omega-3 index were significantly correlated with the total white matter volume. The entorhinal cortex, frontal pole, and total white matter were associated with higher scores on delayed memory recall. This exploratory study found that among healthy, cognitively older adults, increased levels of omega-3 FAs are associated with better memory, processing speed, and structural brain measures.

Background: Emotional blunting is a characteristic feature of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and can help discriminate between patients with bvFTD and other forms of younger-onset dementia. Objective: We compared the presence of e

Eggs contain important compounds related to enhanced cognition, but it is not clear if egg consumption, as a whole, has a direct impact on memory decline in older adults. This study aimed to determine whether egg intake levels predict the rate of memory decline in healthy older adults after sociodemographic and dietary controls. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 470 participants, age 50 and over, from the Biospsychosocial Religion and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire, which was used to calculate egg intake and divide participants into Low (<23 g/week, about half an egg), Intermediate (24–63 g/week, half to 1½ eggs) and High (≥63 g/week, about two or more eggs) tertiles. Participants were administered the California Verbal Learning Test – 2nd Edition (CVLT-II) Short Form in 2006–2007, and 294 of them were again tested in 2010–2011. Using linear mixed model analysis, no significant cross-sectional differences were observed in CVLT-II performance between egg intake levels after controlling for age, sex, race, education, body mass index, cardiovascular risk, depression and intake of meat, fish, dairy and fruits/vegetables. Longitudinally, the Intermediate egg group exhibited significantly slower rates of decline on the CVLT-II compared to the Low egg group. The High egg group also exhibited slower rates of decline, but not statistically significant. Thus, limited consumption of eggs (about 1 egg/week) was associated with slower memory decline in late life compared to consuming little to no eggs, but a dose-response effect was not clearly evident. This study may help explain discrepancies in previous research that did not control for other dietary intakes and risk factors.

Background/Objectives: Soy foods and isoflavones are inversely associated with cognitive decline; however, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show mixed results. Fermented soy contains bioactive compounds not found in unfermented soybeans, such as peptides and aglycone isoflavones, which may support cognition by reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Fermented soy RCTs on older adults with mild cognitive impairment show cognitive benefits; however, the effects of fermented soy on cognitively healthy older adults are not known. Methods: We investigated the effects of a non-probiotic fermented soy powder, added to the usual diet, compared to a placebo matched for energy on global cognition, memory, verbal fluency, processing speed, and executive function in a 12-week RCT on 61 adults aged 65 years and older (74 ± 5 y; 47 completers). Results: The fermented soy group showed significant improvement (p = 0.041) in memory scores (1.81%, 95% CI: −2.10, 5.72) vs. placebo (1.16%, 95% CI: −3.64, 5.97) using analysis of variance, adjusted for sex and baseline scores. Post hoc analyses on women 70 years and older (n = 29) found significant improvement in global cognition (p = 0.028) and memory (p = 0.049) in the fermented soy group. Global cognition mean change adjusted for baseline scores was 2.86% (95% CI: 1.52, 4.21) for fermented soy and 0.06% (95% CI: −1.43, 1.55) for placebo. Memory mean change adjusted for baseline scores was 8.47% (95% CI: 5.05, 11.89) in the fermented soy group, compared to 2.05% (95% CI: −1.75, 5.84) for placebo. Conclusions: These outcomes suggest that fermented soy has the potential to slow age-related cognitive decline, especially memory for women 70 and older. Further research to confirm these findings in older women, and in males and other age categories is warranted.

With the rising incidence of neurodegenerative diseases and aging of the global population, it is important to investigate foods that may preserve cognitive function with advancing years. Avocados are rich in fiber, carotenoids, antioxidants, polyphenols and monounsaturated fat, all of which have been associated with improved cognition. To determine if consuming one avocado per day for 6 months has cognitive benefits in adults with central obesity, addressing cognitive health early in the aging trajectory. This was an ancillary study of the multicenter Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial (HAT), which investigated the effect of avocado consumption on visceral adiposity. The effect of avocado consumption on cognition was assessed in participants at the Loma Linda University center. Participants with elevated waist circumference (n = 251) were randomly assigned to consume 1 avocado per day (AVO), or to avoid consuming avocados (CON) for 6 months without additional dietary guidance. Cognitive function (memory, processing speed, executive function, simple reaction time, and working memory reaction time) was measured at baseline and end of the intervention period. A series of mixed analyses of covariance was conducted to assess changes in the five cognitive scores over the 6-month intervention, group differences (AVO vs. CON), and modification of intervention effects by age. A total of 241 participants (69.7% female, 53.1% white, mean BMI = 33.4 ± 5.7) between the ages of 25-84 years (mean age = 49.6 ± 13.3 years) completed the trial. Working memory reaction time improved for all participants at the end of the 6-month intervention, but no significant group by time interactions were found between the AVO and CON groups in any of the cognitive domains. There were no significant two-way interactions with age by time or intervention group, and the three-way interaction was also non-significant. The consumption of one avocado per day without any additional lifestyle modifications for six months did not significantly alter cognitive function in adults with central obesity across all age groups. Additional work is needed to determine whether avocados, as part of dietary strategies initiated in midlife, contribute to healthy cognitive aging, particularly in normal weight and metabolically vulnerable populations.