Older adults consuming more polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E rich foods had better white matter integrity, and that maintaining white matter microstructural integrity might be a mechanism for the beneficial role of diet on cognition, a recent study found. The cross-sectional analysis included 239 elderly (≥65 years) participants of a multiethnic cohort. Researchers measured white matter integrity with fractional anisotropy (FA). Nutritional patterns were derived from principal component analysis based on energy-adjusted intake of 24 selected nutrients. They found:

• Among the identified 6 nutrient patterns, 1 (nutrient pattern 6, characterized by high intakes of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E) was positively associated with FA.

• Those with the highest tertile of nutrient pattern 6 score had a mean of 0.01 higher FA value than those with the lowest tertile, similar to the effect of a 10-year decrease in age.

Citation: Gu Y, Vorburger RS, Gazes Y, et al. White matter integrity as a mediator in the relationship between dietary nutrients and cognition in the elderly. [Published online ahead of print May 11, 2016]. Ann Neurol. doi:10.1002/ana.24674.