Physical activity (PA) has been hypothesized to be effective to maintaining cognitive function and delay cognitive decline in the elderly, but physical fitness (PF) could be a better predictor of cognitive function. We aimed to study the association between PA and PF with cognitive function and quality of life using cross-sectional data from 6874 participants of the PREDIMED-Plus trial (64.9 ± 4.9 years, 48.5% female). PF and PA were measured with a Chair Stand Test, the REGICOR and Rapid Assessment Physical Activity questionnaires. Cognitive function was measured with Minimental State Examination, Control Oral Word Association Test, Trail Making Test and Digit Span tests; whereas health-related quality of life was assessed with the SF36-HRQL test. Cognitive and quality of life scores were compared among PF quartiles and PA levels (low, moderate and high) with ANCOVA and with Chair Stand repetitions and energy expenditure from total PA with multivariable linear regression adjusted for confounding factors. PF associated with higher scores in phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests and with lower TMT A time. However, PA was not associated with the neurocognitive parameters evaluated. Both PF and PA levels were strongly associated with a better quality of life. We concluded that PF, but not PA, is associated with a better cognitive function. This trial was retrospectively registered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial (ISRCTN89898870, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870?q=ISRCTN89898870&filters=&sort=&o ffset=1&totalResults=1&page=1&pageSize=10&searchType=basic-search) on 07/24/2014. Scientific RepoRtS | (2020) 10:3472 | https://doi.Cognitive impairment was assessed with the Mini-mental State Examination test (MMSE) and the Clock-Drawing test (CDT) [52][53][54] . The MMSE test is a 30-point questionnaire that examines domains like time and spatial orientation, immediate and deferred recall, attention, calculation, and language. A score is calculated for each domain, and all are added to obtain a total MMSE score. A threshold of 24 is defined to identify cognitive impairment. The CDT is useful to examine visuospatial functioning and memory. Participants are required to draw a clock with a specific time, and a numeric score of 0 or 1 is given depending if they correctly or incorrectly draw the numbers, minute and seconds clock hands and the requested time 49 . All scores are sum to get a total CDT score.All cognitive tests were applied by nutritionists who had been previously trained.

Healthy lifestyle factors, such as physical activity (PA) and Mediterranean diet (MD), decrease the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was to report main lifestyle components and related factors according to the MetS severity. Cross-sectional analysis was done of baseline lifestyle factors from 5739 participants with overweight/obesity and MetS features (aged 55-75 years) included in the PREDIMED-PLUS primary cardiovascular prevention randomized trial. Participants were categorized in tertiles according to a validated MetS severity score (MetSSS). Anthropometrics, visceral adiposity index, dietary nutrient intake, biochemical marker levels, as well as a Dietary Inflammatory Index and depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II) were measured. Diet quality was assessed using a 17-item energy-restricted MD questionnaire. Duration and intensity of PA was self-reported using the Minnesota-REGICOR Short Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sedentary behaviours were measured using the Spanish version of the Nurses' Health Study questionnaire. The 30 s chair stand test was also assessed. Participants with highest MetSSS showed higher values of cardiovascular risk factors (except for total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol), depression risk, sedentary and TV viewing time, and lower moderate and vigorous Nutrients 2020, 12, 1013 3 of 20 leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Highest MetSSS participants tended to a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern and tended to lower MD adherence. In addition, they showed lower carbohydrate and nut intake and higher intake of protein, saturated and trans fatty acids, cholesterol, iodine, sodium, red and processed meat products, other oils different from olive oil and spirit alcoholic drinks. The highest MetS severity score was associated with lower moderate and vigorous LTPA and higher sedentary time and depression risk, as they tended to a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern and lower MD adherence.

Background Bone contributes to maintaining the acid-base balance as a buffering system for blood pH. Diet composition also affects acid-base balance. Several studies have linked an imbalance in the acid-base system to changes in the density and structure of bone mass, although some prospective studies and meta-analyses suggest that acid load has no deleterious effect on bone. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the associations between potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) and the risk of osteoporotic fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) in 2 middle-aged and elderly Mediterranean populations. Methods We conducted a longitudinal analysis including 870 participants from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterranea (PREDIMED) Study and a cross-sectional analysis including 1134 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus study. Participants were adults, aged 55–80 y, either at high cardiovascular risk (PREDIMED) or overweight/obese with metabolic syndrome (PREDIMED-Plus), as defined by the International Diabetes Federation, the American Heart Association, and the National Heart Association. PRAL and NEAP were calculated from validated food-frequency questionnaires. BMD was measured using DXA scans. Fracture information was obtained from medical records. The association between mean PRAL and NEAP and fracture risk was assessed using multivariable-adjusted Cox models. BMD differences between tertiles of baseline PRAL and NEAP were evaluated by means of ANCOVA. Results A total 114 new fracture events were documented in the PREDIMED study after a mean of 5.2 y of intervention and 8.9 y of total follow-up. Participants in the first and third PRAL and NEAP tertiles had a higher risk of osteoporotic fracture compared with the second tertile, showing a characteristically U-shaped association [HR (95% CI): 1.73 (1.03, 2.91) in tertile 1 and 1.91 (1.14, 3.19) in tertile 3 for PRAL, and 1.83 (1.08, 3.09) in tertile 1 and 1.87 (1.10, 3.17) in tertile 3 for NEAP]. Compared with the participants in tertile 1, the participants in the top PRAL and NEAP tertiles had lower BMD [PRAL: mean total femur BMD: 1.029 ± 0.007 and 1.007 ± 0.007 g/cm2; P = 0.006 (tertiles 1 and 3); NEAP: mean total femur BMD: 1.032 ± 0.007 and 1.009 ± 0.007 g/cm2; P = 0.017 (tertiles 1 and 3)]. Conclusions The results of our study suggest that both high and low dietary acid are associated with a higher risk of osteoporotic fractures, although only high dietary acid was found to have a negative relation to BMD in senior adults with existing chronic health conditions. This trial was registered at http://www.isrctn.com/ as ISRCTN3573963 (PREDIMED) and ISRCTN89898870 (PREDIMED-Plus).