Participants who consumed three or more servings per week showed more favorable changes
In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers prospectively evaluated the association between nut consumption and two-year changes in cognitive performance in older adults at risk of cognitive decline.
The study used data from the PREDIMED-Plus cohort. A total of 6,630 participants 55 to 75 years of age with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome completed a food frequency questionnaire and a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests at baseline and after two years of follow-up. Composite cognitive scores were used to assess global, general, attention and executive function domains. Nut consumption was categorized by number of servings per week. Associations between baseline nut consumption and cognitive changes after two years were evaluated by statistical analysis.
Nut consumption was found to be positively associated with changes in general cognitive function. Compared with participants who consumed less than one serving of nuts per week, those who consumed three or more servings per week showed more favorable changes in general cognitive performance. The authors concluded that frequent nut consumption was associated with a smaller decline in general cognitive performance over two years in older adults at risk of cognitive decline.
Ni, J., Nishi, S. K., Babio, N., Ros, E., Basterra-Gortari, F. J., Corella, D., … & Salas-Salvadó, J. (2023). Higher versus lower nut consumption and changes in cognitive performance over two years in a population at risk of cognitive decline: a cohort study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.