Shafaqna English- A new study suggests that the relationship between dietary fat and brain health in older adults is more complex than previously thought. Researchers found that a high-fat diet may accelerate brain tissue loss in healthy older adults while showing a potentially protective association in those with mild cognitive impairment, according to PsyPost.
Researchers analyzing data from the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project found that higher dietary fat intake was linked to faster shrinkage of the temporal lobe—an area critical for memory and language—in cognitively healthy older adults. However, among participants with mild cognitive impairment, higher fat consumption was associated with a slower enlargement of the brain’s inferior lateral ventricles, a marker often linked to brain tissue loss.
The study included 758 adults with an average age of 67 and followed participants for nearly five years using brain MRI scans and dietary assessments. Researchers also examined the influence of sex and the APOE ε4 gene, a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, finding that the apparent protective association in cognitively impaired individuals was more evident among women and APOE ε4 carriers.
While the findings suggest that dietary fat may affect brain aging differently depending on cognitive status, the researchers stress that the observational study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship. They say further research is needed to clarify how dietary fat interacts with neurodegeneration and whether different dietary strategies should be recommended for different groups of older adults.
Source: PsyPost