AUTHOR=Liu Su , Luo Jianfeng , Xiao Zhenxu , Wu Wanqing , Liang Xiaoniu , Ding Saineng , Zhao Qianhua , Zhao Xianfeng , Wang Yi , Ding Ding TITLE=Low dietary vitamin E intake is associated with high risk of incident dementia among older adults: The Shanghai Aging Study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition VOLUME=9 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1036795 DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.1036795 ISSN=2296-861X ABSTRACT=Background

Growing evidence has shown the association between vitamin E intake and the risk of cognitive decline, but the conclusions were inconsistent. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that vitamin E intake is associated with incident dementia and deterioration of global cognition.

Materials and methods

We followed 1,550 non-demented community residents aged ≥60 years for an average of 5.2 years in the Shanghai Aging Study. Baseline vitamin E intake were measured by the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Cognitive function was evaluated by a battery of neuropsychological tests. Consensus diagnosis of incident dementia was made based on the DSM-IV criteria.

Results

During the follow-up, 135 cases (8.7%) of incident dementia were identified. The incidence rates of dementia in low, low-medium, medium-high, and high vitamin E intake groups were 2.8, 1.5, 1.6, and 0.7 per 100 person-years, respectively (P < 0.001). Participants with low vitamin E intake had a significantly higher risk of incident dementia than those with higher intake [compared with the highest intake group: hazard ratio (HR) 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–4.57] after adjusting for confounders. Vitamin E intake was negatively correlated to the rate of annual decline of Mini-Mental State Examination score with the adjustment of confounders (β = 0.019, p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Vitamin E intake is negatively correlated with the risk of dementia in older adults. An appropriate high amount of vitamin E intake from the diet might be helpful to prevent future cognitive decline.