Nutrition and its Relation to Cognition: Examining the Relationship Between Proportional Macronutrient Consumption and Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults

The population of older adults is growing at a remarkable rate in the United States and globally. This growth is matched by an increased incidence of cognitive dysfunction. In an attempt to identify possible causal or preventive factors to this decline, this study explored links between naturalistically observed nutrient consumption and cognitive function in a convenience sample of older adults. Methods varied across individual nutrient analyses as each attempted to replicate previous findings in the literature. Results revealed a clear correlation between sugar intake and incidence mild cognitive impairment (MCI; r=.45, p<.01), and decreased motor function in both dominant (r=.31, p<.05) and non-dominant hands (r=.43, p< .01). Results also revealed that low caloric intake and high carbohydrate consumption correlated with higher incidence of MCI, as well (t=2.09, p<.05, r=.25, p<.05). Knowledge of the correspondence between nutritional intake and cognition may aid our understanding and subsequent prevention of MCI in our growing population of older adults.