Researchers: George S Vlachos, Nikolaos Scarmeas
Dietary intervention is an enticing approach in the fight against cognitive impairment. Nutritional supplements and dietetic counseling are relatively easy and benign interventions, but research has not yet yielded irrefutable evidence as to their clinical utility. Heterogeneity in the results of available clinical studies, as well as methodological and practical issues, does not allow replication and generalization of findings. The paper at hand reviews only randomized clinical trials of single nutrients, multi-nutrient formulations and dietary counseling in mild cognitive impairment and dementia of the Alzheimer’s type focusing on both cognitive and functional outcomes. Thus far, folate, vitamin E, Ω-3 fatty acids, and certain multi-nutrient formulations have shown some preliminary promising results; larger, well-designed trials are needed to confirm these findings before nutritional elements can be incorporated in recommended clinical guidelines.
References
- The n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Supplementation Improved the Cognitive Function in the Chinese Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.
- Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial.
- Association between cognitive function and supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs and other nutrients in ≥ 75 years old patients: A randomized multicenter study.
Topic: Folic Acid in Aging