Zwilling Christopher E, Wu Jisheng, Barbey Aron K
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
NPJ Aging. 2024 May 21;10(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41514-024-00150-8.
The emerging field of Nutritional Cognitive Neuroscience aims to uncover specific foods and nutrients that promote healthy brain aging. Central to this effort is the discovery of nutrient profiles that can be targeted in nutritional interventions designed to promote brain health with respect to multimodal neuroimaging measures of brain structure, function, and metabolism. The present study therefore conducted one of the largest and most comprehensive nutrient biomarker studies examining multimodal neuroimaging measures of brain health within a sample of 100 older adults. To assess brain health, a comprehensive battery of well-established cognitive and brain imaging measures was administered, along with 13 blood-based biomarkers of diet and nutrition. The findings of this study revealed distinct patterns of aging, categorized into two phenotypes of brain health based on hierarchical clustering. One phenotype demonstrated an accelerated rate of aging, while the other exhibited slower-than-expected aging. A t-test analysis of dietary biomarkers that distinguished these phenotypes revealed a nutrient profile with higher concentrations of specific fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Study participants with this nutrient profile demonstrated better cognitive scores and delayed brain aging, as determined by a t-test of the means. Notably, participant characteristics such as demographics, fitness levels, and anthropometrics did not account for the observed differences in brain aging. Therefore, the nutrient pattern identified by the present study motivates the design of neuroscience-guided dietary interventions to promote healthy brain aging.
营养认知神经科学这一新兴领域旨在揭示促进大脑健康衰老的特定食物和营养素。这项工作的核心是发现营养成分概况，这些概况可作为营养干预的目标，旨在通过对大脑结构、功能和代谢的多模态神经影像学测量来促进大脑健康。因此，本研究在100名老年人的样本中开展了规模最大、最全面的营养生物标志物研究之一，考察大脑健康的多模态神经影像学测量。为评估大脑健康状况，采用了一系列完善的认知和脑成像测量方法，同时还检测了13种基于血液的饮食和营养生物标志物。本研究结果揭示了不同的衰老模式，根据层次聚类分为两种大脑健康表型。一种表型表现出加速衰老，而另一种则表现出比预期更慢的衰老。对区分这些表型的饮食生物标志物进行t检验分析，发现了一种特定脂肪酸、抗氧化剂和维生素浓度较高的营养成分概况。具有这种营养成分概况的研究参与者表现出更好的认知分数和延缓的大脑衰老，这是通过均值t检验确定的。值得注意的是，人口统计学、健康水平和人体测量学等参与者特征并不能解释观察到的大脑衰老差异。因此，本研究确定的营养模式推动了以神经科学为指导的饮食干预设计，以促进大脑健康衰老。
