Chiropractor on Nutrition and Dementia

A review of

van Soest, Annick PM, et al. “Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2024).

By Dr. Bryan Stephens

Summarized Review Conclusions

The study concluded that individuals with suboptimal levels of homocysteine, vitamin D, and omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 PUFAs) had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia. A combined suboptimal status of these three nutrients resulted in a four-fold increased risk, which was larger than many other dementia risk factors. The study also found that the APOE ε4 genotype influenced this relationship, with a stronger association between nutrient suboptimal status and dementia risk in carriers of the APOE ε4 allele.

The study’s findings are consistent with previous research, despite differences in nutrient components and cut-off values across studies. The association between nutrient deficiencies and dementia risk is biologically plausible, as these nutrients play various roles in brain health, such as reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

Further research is needed to optimize nutrient cut-offs, incorporate other antioxidant nutrients, and explore the interaction between APOE ε4 genotype and nutrient status. This study suggests that improving nutrient status could be a modifiable strategy to reduce dementia risk.

“Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with the risk of dementia.”

van Soest, Annick PM, et al. “Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2024).

“a suboptimal status of all three nutrients [homocysteine, vitamin D, and omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids] was associated with a four-fold increased risk of dementia compared to individuals without suboptimal statuses.”

van Soest, Annick PM, et al. “Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2024).

Introduction to the Research

The rising prevalence of dementia, coupled with its social and economic impact, underscores the urgent need for preventive strategies. While preclinical research suggests that nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin D, antioxidants, and polyphenols could potentially slow brain aging, clinical trials on single-nutrient supplementation have largely been ineffective. This failure may stem from the complex interactions between nutrients and the lack of consideration of baseline nutrient status in clinical trials, as only those with deficiencies are likely to benefit. Previous studies have linked combined deficiencies in nutrients such as n-3 PUFAs, B vitamins, and vitamin D with cognitive decline and dementia, prompting the development of a nutrient status index to investigate the relationship between these nutrient deficiencies and dementia risk in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort.

Research Methodology

“The FHS is an ongoing prospective community-based cohort of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. In 1948, the Original cohort was established to gain insight into the factors contributing to cardiovascular disease.⁸ The Offspring cohort was established in 1971 as a second-generation cohort, including children of the Original cohort and their spouses. A total of 5124 participants have been enrolled in the Offspring cohort. To date, these participants have been studied over 10 examination cycles, about once every 4 years.⁹ The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Boston University Medical Center, and all participants gave written informed consent.

For this study, we included data from participants aged ≥50 years, free of dementia, with available blood biomarker data on homocysteine, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and n-3 PUFAs. We set the study baseline at exam 7, as biomarker data were measured at this time point. Among the 5124 participants in the FHS Offspring cohort at exam 7, 1525 participants had available data on all three biomarkers. All these participants were free of dementia at baseline. Data from 557 participants were excluded due to being younger than 50 years (n = 130) or missing covariate data (n = 427; of which n = 169 education; n = 25 apolipoprotein E (APOE) carrier status; n = 59 physical activity; n = 8 smoking; n = 107 alcohol intake; and n = 59 depression). Thus, our analysis included data of 968 participants.”

van Soest, Annick PM, et al. “Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2024).

Research Findings

“Baseline characteristics of the 968 participants are presented in Table 1 and the prevalence of high-risk status in Table S1. The participants were on average 61.4 ± 7.6 years, and 48% were male. A total of 22% of participants were carriers of at least one APOE ε4 allele. The nutrient status index ranged from 0 (low risk for all nutrients) to 3 (high risk for all nutrients), with the majority of participants (40%) having one high-risk nutrient status. Participants with a higher number of high-risk statuses were more likely to be male, had on average a higher body mass index, and were more often current or former smoker.”

“Among the 968 participants, 79 developed dementia over a median follow-up of 15.5 [12.9, 19.0] years. In multivariable-adjusted models, the nutrient status index was associated with dementia incidence (Table 2). Each point increase in nutrient status index was associated with a 50% higher risk of dementia (HR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.16, 1.96). Moreover, participants with three high-risk statuses had a four-fold increased risk of dementia compared to participants without a high-risk status (HR = 4.64; 95% CI = 1.68, 12.83).”

van Soest, Annick PM, et al. “Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2024).

Research References

As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.

Our Message

When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our East Dallas Chiropractors located in Lakewood, near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients are just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.