Vegetable and Fruit Intake, Its Patterns, and Cognitive Function: Cross-Sectional Findings among Older Adults in Anhui, China

Objectives To examine the associations of vegetable and fruit intake frequency, its patterns, and cognition among older Chinese adults. Design Cross-sectional data obtained from the Anhui Province Healthy Longevity Survey. Setting Urban and rural communities. Participants A total of 5410 older adult...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2022-05, Vol.26 (5), p.529-536
Main Authors: Fangfang, H., Qiong, W., Shuai, Z., Xiao, H., Jingya, Z., Guodong, Shen, Yan, Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aging
China - epidemiology
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet
Feeding Behavior
Female
Fruit
Fruits
Geriatrics/Gerontology
Humans
Male
Males
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Neurosciences
Nutrition
Older people
Original Research
Primary Care Medicine
Quality of Life Research
Vegetables
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objectives To examine the associations of vegetable and fruit intake frequency, its patterns, and cognition among older Chinese adults. Design Cross-sectional data obtained from the Anhui Province Healthy Longevity Survey. Setting Urban and rural communities. Participants A total of 5410 older adults (aged 60 or older) were included from selected communities. Measurements Data on the number of days in a typical week that vegetables and fruits were consumed were collected, and the four intake patterns were defined (V+/F+: daily intake of both vegetables and fruit; V+/F− or V−/F+: daily intake of vegetables or fruit; and V−/F−: no daily intake of either vegetables or fruit). Cognitive function was measured using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was defined according to education-specific criteria. Results Nondaily vegetable intake was associated with lower MMSE scores (β = −0.763, 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.463, −0.064) among males and a higher likelihood of having MCI (OR: 1.409, 95% CI: 1.037, 1.915) among females. Less frequent intake of fruit was associated with lower MMSE scores and a higher prevalence of MCI among both males and females (p for trends < 0.001 for both sexes). Compared with the V+/F+ group, male participants who were classified into the V+/F− and V−/F− groups had lower MMSE scores (V+/F−: β = −0.612, 95% CI: −1.094, −0.131; V−/F−: β = −1.273, 95% CI: −2.090, −0.455). Females classified in the V+/F− and V−/F− patterns had lower MMSE scores (V+/F−: β = −0.862, 95% CI: −1.320, −0.404; V−/F−: β = −1.293, 95% CI: −2.079, −0.507) and elevated risks of MCI (V+/F−: OR: 1.762, 95% CI: 1.386, 2.242; V−/F−: OR: 2.180, 95% CI: 1.505, 3.156). Conclusion Lower vegetable or fruit intake was associated with poorer cognitive performance among males and females, and the risk was even higher among those with a low intake of both vegetables and fruits. Healthy eating habits, including daily vegetable and fruit intake, are essential for cognition maintenance in both males and females.
ISSN:1279-7707
1760-4788
DOI:10.1007/s12603-022-1791-y