Forskning

October 19, 2021

Food and Microbiota Metabolites Associate with Cognitive Decline in Older Subjects: A twelve-Year Prospective Study

R Gonzales-Dominguez et al 2021. Food and Microbiota Metabolites Associate with Cognitive Decline in Older Subjects: A twelve-Year Prospective Study, Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, published online.

ABSTRACT:

Scope: Diet is considered an important modulator of cognitive decline and dementia, but the available evidence is, however, still fragmented and often inconsistent.

Methods and results: We studied the long-term prospective Three-City Cohort, which consisted of two separate nested case-control sample sets from different geographic regions (Bordeaux, n = 418; Dijon, n = 424). Cognitive decline was evaluated through five neuropsychological tests (Mini-Mental State Examination, Benton Visual Retention Test, Isaac’s Set Test, Trail-Making Test part A, Trail-Making Test part B). The food-related and microbiota-derived circulating metabolome was studied in participants free of dementia at baseline, by subjecting serum samples to large-scale quantitative metabolomics analysis. A protective association was found between metabolites derived from cocoa, coffee, mushrooms, red wine, the microbial metabolism of polyphenol-rich foods and cognitive decline, as well as a negative association with metabolites related to unhealthy dietary components, such as artificial sweeteners and alcohol.

Conclusion: These results provide insight into the early metabolic events that are associated with the later risk to develop cognitive decline within the crosstalk between diet, gut microbiota and the endogenous metabolism, which could help identify potential targets for preventive and therapeutic strategies to preserve cognitive health.