Milk and Dairy Products Intake Is Related to Cognitive Impairment at Baseline in Predimed Plus Trial

Abstract

Scope To examine the association between milk and dairy products intake and the prevalence of cognitive decline among Spanish individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Methods and results Cross‐sectional analyses are performed on baseline data from 6744 adults (aged 55–75 years old). Intake of milk and dairy products is estimated using a food frequency questionnaire grouped into quartiles. The risk of developing cognitive impairment is based on the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). A higher prevalence of cognitive decline was found in subjects who consumed more grams. Patients with worse MMSE score (10–24) consumed a mean of 395.14 ± 12.21 g, while patients with better MMSE score (27–30) consumed a mean of 341.23 ± 2.73 g (p < 0.05). Those subjects with the lower milk consumption (<220 g/day) had a higher MMSE score (28.35 ± 0.045). Higher intake of fermented dairy products was observed in participants with a lower MMSE score (OR 1.340, p = 0.003). A positive correlation was found between the consumption of whole milk and the MMSE score (r = 0.066, p < 0.001). Conclusions These findings suggest that greater consumption of milk and dairy products could be associated with greater cognitive decline according to MMSE. Conversely, consumption of whole‐fat milk could be linked with less cognitive impairment in the cross‐sectional study.

Dairy Product Consumption and Changes in Cognitive Performance: Two‐Year Analysis of the PREDIMED‐Plus Cohort

“…A few studies have previously reported that consumption of cheese, despite its relatively high proportion of saturated fat, may have a protective effect on cognitive function. [11,[13][14][15][16]49] In the present study, cheese consumption showed a nonsignificant positive trend with GCF. Furthermore, yogurt intake was found to be inversely associated with VFT-a, suggesting a negative impact on verbal ability/executive function.…”

“…A recent cross‐sectional study conducted within the PREDIMED‐Plus cohort reported that participants who consumed a higher amount of dairy products had lower cognitive function based on MMSE score. [ 15 ] Other studies conducted in different countries have reported either no or positive associations of dairy consumption with cognitive function; however, most of these studies were cross‐sectional in design, therefore subject to potential reverse causation, and had high heterogeneity which may also partly explain the discrepancy. [ 12,13,16,47 ]…”

“…In older Spanish and Dutch adults, positive associations between the intake of fermented dairy with cognitive function assessments have been shown. [ 13,15 ] One small randomized, double‐blind, controlled trial, which assessed the effects of fermented milk with a mixture of probiotics for 12 weeks on cognitive function among 60 patients with Alzheimer's disease, showed a significant improvement in MMSE score among the probiotic treated patients compared with the control group receiving milk. [ 48 ] We did not observe significant associations between specific fermented dairy product consumption and changes in cognitive performance over a 2‐year period.…”

“…[7,9,10] However, findings from a limited number of epidemiological studies investigating the association between dairy product consumption and cognitive function remain inconsistent with high heterogeneity, and most are cross-sectional in design. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Therefore, to investigate the association between dairy consumption and cognitive function, longitudinal studies exploring the associations between milk and specific types of dairy products with cognitive performance are needed. [13] Based on the aforementioned potential mechanisms and evidence to date, in the present study we hypothesized that milk and dairy product consumption may help in delaying cognitive decline and maintaining cognitive functioning during aging.…”

“…However, findings from a limited number of epidemiological studies investigating the association between dairy product consumption and cognitive function remain inconsistent with high heterogeneity, and most are cross‐sectional in design. [ 11–16 ] Therefore, to investigate the association between dairy consumption and cognitive function, longitudinal studies exploring the associations between milk and specific types of dairy products with cognitive performance are needed. [ 13 ]…”