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Cited by 90Nutritional Studies and DietDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchConsumer Attitudes and Food Labeling

Education Attenuates the Association between Dietary Patterns and Cognition

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Akbaraly, Tasnime N., Singh-Manoux, Archana, Marmot, Michael G., Brunner, Eric J.·2009·Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
DOI 10.1159/000199235PMC PMC2793407
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Abstract

Background/Aims: Various foods have been shown to be associated with cognitive outcomes. As individual food items are not consumed in isolation, we examined the association between dietary patternsand cognitive function, with special attention to the role of education in this association. Methods: Analyses were carried out on 4,693 stroke-free white European participants of the Whitehall II study. Two dietary patterns were determined using principal component analysis: a ‘whole food’ and a ‘processed food’ pattern. Cognitive function was assessed using a battery of 5 tests. Results: After adjustment for demographic, behavioral and health measures, higher intake of ‘whole food’ diet was associated with lower and high consumption of ‘processed food’ with higher odds of cognitive deficit. However, adjustment for education significantly attenuated most of these associations. Conclusions: Education, through its role as a powerful confounder, shapes the relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive deficit in a healthy middle-aged UK cohort.

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  • The Mediterranean diet correlates with a reduced risk of depression, probably due to rich source polyphenols.

    “Interestingly, the Mediterranean diet has been shown in a number of studies to correlate with a reduced risk of depression (Akbaraly et al., 2009;Estruch et al., 2013;Lassale et al., 2018;Milaneschi et al., 2011;Sanchez-Villegas et al., 2006), probably due to the rich source polyphenols present in different components.”

    From The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis (2019) · cites this paper as Akbaraly et al., 2009

    The Discussion (page not provided) links Mediterranean-diet adherence to lower risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, not depression. Searches for depression, depressive symptoms, and polyphenols found no passage supporting the claimed depression association or its proposed explanation. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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References 52 · Cited by 90

Research works printed but not linked: 38

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Authors
Akbaraly, T. N., Singh-Manoux, A., Marmot, M. G., & Brunner, E. J.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
Publisher
S. Karger AG
Published
2009
Volume
27
Issue
2
Pages
147-154
ISSN
  • 1420-8008 (ISSN-L)
  • 1421-9824
DOI
10.1159/000199235
PMC
PMC2793407
OpenAlex
W2094104284
Cited by
90
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
FWCI
5.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • British Heart Foundation (RG/07/008/23674)
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS06516)
  • National Institute on Aging (AG 13196, R37AG013196, R01AG013196)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL36310, R01HL036310)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
Keywords
dietary habits, cognitive function, education, confounding, whole food diet, processed foods, cognitive impairment, Whitehall II study, middle-aged adults, diet and cognition
MeSH terms
Adult, Cognition Disorders, Diet, Education, Feeding Behavior, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires, Socioeconomic Factors, Vegetables, Cohort Studies, Health Behavior

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