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Introduction
Some cognitive decline is normal with age. However, more significant cognitive decline is primarily due to disease-induced dementias (such as Alzheimer’s Disease). It also results from neurodegenerative disorders and chronic, prolonged degeneration of our neuronal pathways and functions.
Drug discovery for dementias have been largely unsuccessful, leaving no good treatments for this collection of diseases. This had led to research examining areas that may aid in preventing (or more accurately, slowing) cognitive decline.
In this episode the Sigma team look at the published data on a variety of nutrients, foods and dietary patterns, including: vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, caffeine, flavanoids, coffee and green leafy vegetables.
Related resources
- [00:01:01]Definitions
- [00:07:40]What causes cognitive decline? Dementia? Mechanisms of ND pathogenesis.
- [00:10:33]Why might nutrition play a role?
- [00:17:18]Dietary patterns
- [00:25:30]Diet interaction with APOE genotype
- [00:30:18]Alcohol
- [00:35:36]Polyphenols – mechanisms
- [00:42:05]Coffee & Caffeine
- [00:44:03]Flavanoids
- [00:50:04]Vitamin D
- [01:03:22]Omega 3 fatty acids
- [01:20:42]B vitamins & green leafy veg
- [01:29:35]Vitamin E
- [01:37:24]How to assess cognitive health in ageing intervention studies
- [01:44:28]Concluding thoughts
- [01:50:47]Key Ideas segment
The Hosts
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Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Key Ideas
You can listen to the Key Ideas segment at 1:50:44 of the episode in your Premium feed.
First, a quick re-cap of the mechanisms mentioned in the episode:
- Neuroinflammation
- Cerebrovascular Blood Flow
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Oxidative Stress
- Secondary Vascular Protection/ Enhancement of Endothelial Functions
This episode explored the evidence on the status and intake of the following nutrients:
- Caffeine & Coffee
- Alcohol
- Vitamin D
- B Vitamins (and green leafy vegetables)
- Omega 3
- Vitamin E
- Flavanoids
For details of both these mechanisms and the evidence relating to these nutrients, see the detailed study notes below.
Beyond the specifics of this episode, one key idea to remember is the problems with viewing neurodegenerative diseases through an entirely diet-centric perspective.
So we absolutely cannot say that a specific diet will guarantee you don’t develop a neurodegenerative disease, nor can we say that a diagnosis of such a disease is a result of someone’s food choice. We can’t think of diet as “preventing” a ND, but rather potentially modifying risk.
