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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1461942
This article is part of the Research Topic Nutrition and Neurobehaviors View all 18 articles

Serum trimethylamine N-oxide and its precursors are associated with the occurrence of mild cognition impairment as well as changes in neurocognitive status

Provisionally accepted
He Bai He Bai 1Yao Zhang Yao Zhang 2Peiying Tian Peiying Tian 3Yani Wu Yani Wu 1Ruiheng Peng Ruiheng Peng 1Bin Liang Bin Liang 4Wenli Ruan Wenli Ruan 5Enmao Cai Enmao Cai 5Ying Lu Ying Lu 5Mingfeng Ma Mingfeng Ma 6Liqiang Zheng Liqiang Zheng 1,7*
  • 1 School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
  • 2 Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
  • 3 Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, China
  • 4 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
  • 5 Department of Physical and Chemical, Changning District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
  • 6 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fenyang Hospital of Shanxi Province, Fenyang, China
  • 7 Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study aims to examine the association between gut microbe-dependent trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its precursors (choline, betaine, and carnitine) levels and mild cognition impairment (MCI), alongside changes in the Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (ΔMoCA-BC) score in rural adults.Methods: Drawing data from a large-scale epidemiological study conducted in rural areas of Fuxin County, Liaoning Province, China. 1,535 participants free from brain-related ailments were initially surveyed. MCI was assessed through the MoCA-BC score. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline were used to investigate the association between TMAO and its precursors levels and MCI. Additionally, the association between TMAO and its precursors levels and ΔMoCA-BC was analyzed using a generalized linear model in the longitudinal study.The average age of the study participants was 58.6 ± 9.4 years and the prevalence rate of MCI was 34.5%. With the second quartile as the reference in the logistic regression model, the OR for risk of MCI in the highest quartile for TMAO, betaine, and carnitine was 1.685 (95% CI: 1.232-2.303, P = 0.001), 2.367 (95% CI: 1.722-3.255, P < 0.001), and 2.239 (95% CI: 1.742-3.295, P < 0.001), respectively. The OR of choline for the highest versus lowest quartile was 2.711 (95% CI: 2.012-3.817, P < 0.001) for the risk of MCI. We find a J-shaped association between betaine (P non-linear = 0.001) and carnitine (P non-linear = 0.003) levels and MCI. Furthermore, TMAO and its precursors levels were associated with ΔMoCA-BC in the third and fourth quartiles group (All P < 0.05).The findings suggest the existence of an optimal concentration range for serum levels of TMAO, betaine, and carnitine that mitigates MCI risk, paving the way for enhanced dietary interventions aimed at preventing and treating MCI.

    Keywords: Trimethylamine N-oxide, TMAO, Mild cognition impairment, MCI, MoCA-BC, Choline, Betaine, Carnitine

    Received: 10 Jul 2024; Accepted: 13 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bai, Zhang, Tian, Wu, Peng, Liang, Ruan, Cai, Lu, Ma and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Liqiang Zheng, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.