Association of Dietary Factors with Cognitive Impairment in Older Women

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between dietary factors and cognitive impairment in older Korean women living in the community. Methods: Wave 2 data, from the Suwon Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS), of 365 women aged 65 years or over, were used. The Korean version of the 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) was used to assess cognitive impairment (score 19) Dietary habits and frequencies of food group consumption were also examined. Results: A total of 67 women (18.4%) were found to be cognitively impaired. In bivariate analyses, non-dietary factors, such as age, marital status, education, income, self-rated health, depression, emotional support, social activity, exercise, and dietary factors, such as self-rated nutritional status, frequency of beans and bean products and milk and dairy products consumption were associated with cognitive impairment. In the multivariate analysis, a higher frequency (≥1 vs. < 1 time/day) of beans and bean product (OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.23-0.99) and milk and dairy products (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.61) consumption was inversely associated with cognitive impairment, after adjustment for non-dietary factors. Conclusion: These results suggest that dietary factors may play a significant role in cognitive impairment of older Korean women.