Project Details
Description
ABSTRACT
Multicultural Healthy Diet to Reduce Cognitive Decline & Alzheimer Disease Risk
We propose a randomized clinical trial to investigate whether the Multicultural Healthy Diet
(MHD), an anti-Inflammatory diet based on the Dietary Inflammatory Index tailored to a multi-
cultural population, can improve cognitive functioning in a middle aged (40-65 yr old) urban
population in Bronx, New York compared to a usual diet. We propose this study starting in a
middle-aged population because early indicators of cognitive aging may manifest long before
old age. Many previous studies have also used global mental function tests and relied on
designs with relatively few and widely spaced repeated measurements, both of which can
compromise the ability to detect cognitive change. To overcome these limitations, we propose to
assess dietary effects on cognition using a “measurement-burst” design, which will consist of
administering 35 brief assessments of a broad range of cognitive functions using smartphones
during week-long measurement-bursts at nine-month intervals and repeated three times. This
intensive measurement approach allows assessment of cognitive function in “real-time” which
can provide a more reliable index of function that is more sensitive to change. The aims of this
proposal are to:
A1. Show that the MHD can be adapted to a diverse middle-aged cohort in the Bronx. Evaluate
pre- and post-intervention serum biomarkers indicative of a MHD diet pattern, specifically total
folate & vitamers, tocopherols, carotenoids, vitamin B12 and fatty acid profile; and self-reported
intake of food groups such as fruits and green leafy vegetables, to compare study arms.
A2. Test whether a MHD intervention in a multi-ethnic urban setting can benefit cognitive
function in a middle-aged population. Assess cognitive functions (spatial working memory, short
term memory, self-reported mental sharpness, processing speed), using real-time ambulatory
assessments over a 7-day period every 9 months to evaluate the time course over which
positive impacts are detectable.
A3. Identify components of the MHD diet that are associated with stable or improved
measures of cognition. We will evaluate biomarkers indicative of a MHD diet pattern (see A1)
and relate to cognitive function measures.
Status | Active |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 9/15/17 → 4/30/24 |
Funding
- National Institute on Aging: $773,835.00
- National Institute on Aging: $24,248.00
- National Institute on Aging: $795,631.00
- National Institute on Aging: $630,083.00
- National Institute on Aging: $799,651.00
- National Institute on Aging: $788,515.00
- National Institute on Aging: $856,849.00
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