Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, inflammatory biomarkers and cognitive status in older Italian adults.

BACKGROUND

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is viewed as a transitional stage between normal brain aging and dementia and is characterized by subtle cognitive deficits without significant impairment in daily functioning. Growing evidence supports the contribution of neuroinflammation and modifiable lifestyle factors, including diet, in the progression of cognitive decline.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, neuroinflammatory biomarkers, and MCI status in older adults.

DESIGN

Ninety-two participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, including 37 subjects with MCI. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet explored through the MedDietScore. Plasma levels of TGF-β1 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. Cognitive status was evaluated using the Mini Mental Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), both adjusted for age and education. Statistical analyses included non-parametric tests, correlation analysis, and logistic regression models.

RESULTS

MCI patients showed significantly reduced plasma levels of TGF-β1 and increased TNF-α concentrations compared to other participants. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower likelihood of MCI in a dose-response manner (highest versus lowest adherence quartile, odds ratio: 0.07, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.60). Additional adjustment for inflammatory biomarkers attenuated the associations, suggesting a potential mediating role.

CONCLUSION

Our findings showed that higher adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with lower likelihood of being MCI. Such a relation might be, at least in part, mediated by inflammatory biomarkers. Overall, these results support the role of dietary modulation in preventive strategies against cognitive decline and progression into MCI.