Association between dietary inflammatory index score and incident dementia

Authors: VAN LENT, DEBORAH - University Of Texas Health Science Center; GOKINGCO, HANNAN - University Of Texas Health Science Center; SHORT, MEGHAN - University Of Texas Health Science Center; GONZALES, MITZI - University Of Texas Health Science Center; APARICIO, HUGO - Boston University Medical School; SALINAS, JOEL - New York University School Of Medicine; YUAN, CHANGZHENG - Zhejiang University; JACQUES, PAUL - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; BEISER, ALEXA - Boston University School Of Public Health; SESHADRI, SUDHA - University Of Texas Health Science Center; JAKOB, MINI - University Of Texas Health Science Center; HIMALI, JAYANDRA - University Of Texas Health Science Center

Submitted to: Alzheimer's & Dementia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2024
Publication Date: 12/6/2024
Citation: Van Lent, D.M., Gokingco, H., Short, M.I., Gonzales, M.M., Aparicio, H.J., Salinas, J., Yuan, C., Jacques, P.F., Beiser, A.S., Seshadri, S., Jakob, M.E., Himali, J.J. 2024. Association between dietary inflammatory index score and incident dementia. Alzheimer's & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14390.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14390

Interpretive Summary: Dementia is currently one of the biggest global health and social care challenges but to date there are no drugs effective in stopping the progression of dementia. Consequently, there is a need to identify prevention strategies. Accumulating evidence suggests that healthy dietary patterns are one promising prevention strategy. Alzheimer's disease and related dementias involve inflammatory processes and the investigation of the inflammatory potential of diet is key to understanding the prevention of these dementias. To better understand the potential for diet to affect dementia risk by lowering inflammation, we evaluated whether a dietary inflammatory index score was associated with incidence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. We observed that diets with higher dietary inflammation index scores, which have greater inflammatory potential, were associated with a higher risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Identifying relationships between the inflammatory potential of diet and neurodegenerative diseases will help optimize dietary guidelines for prevention of these dementias.

Technical Abstract: INTRODUCTION: We evaluated whether higher Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores were associated with increased incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia over 22.3 years of follow-up in the community-based Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. METHODS: One thousand four hundred eighty-seven participants (mean +/- standard deviation, age in years 69 +/- 6) completed food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and had incident all-cause dementia and AD surveillance data available. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-six participants developed all-cause dementia (including AD, n = 187) over a median follow-up time of 13.1 years. Higher DII scores, averaged across a maximum of three timepoints, were associated with an increased incidence of all-cause dementia and AD after adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical covariates (hazard ratio [HR] 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.33, P < 0.001; HR 1.20, 95% CI: 1.07-1.34d, P = 0.001, respectively). DISCUSSION: Higher DII scores were associated with a higher risk of incident all cause dementia and AD. Although these promising findings need to be replicated and further validated, our results suggest that diets that correlate with low DII scores may prevent late-life dementia.