Association between dietary vitamin B1 intake and cognitive impairment among older adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background This study aims to investigate the relationship between vitamin B1 intake and cognitive function in older adults.Methods This cross-sectional observational study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. A total of 2422 participants were included in the analysis, with dietary vitamin B1 intake being determined by averaging of two 24-hour dietary recalls. Cognitive function was assessed using multiple tests: the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) for processing speed, the Animal Fluency Test (AFT) for executive function, a Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD) subtest for memory, and a composite-z score calculated from combined individual test z-scores. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the connections between vitamin B1 and cognitive performance.Results 2422 participants, aged 60 years and older, were included from NHANES across two survey cycles (2011–2014). Cognitive function was negatively associated with vitamin B1 intake. In the fully adjusted model, every 1 mg/day increase in vitamin intake correlated with a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment in the z-score test (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.67–0.94), a 19% decrease in the DSTT test (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.7–0.94), and a 14% decrease in the AFT and CERAD tests (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75–0.99). These results remained consistent when vitamin B1 intake was analyzed as a categorical variable. Compared with lowest quartile (Q1), Q4 in the DSST and z score tests reduced the risk of cognitive impairment by 45% (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.4–0.75) and 39% (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.44–0.86). There was no detected significant statistical interaction between these variables.Conclusions Increased dietary intake of vitamin B1 was associated with reduced cognitive impairment in individuals aged over 60.