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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1485648

Individual and combined effects of dietary vitamin intakes on cognitive function in elderly adults: the potential mediating role of serum neurofilament light chain levels

Provisionally accepted
Xianjin Ke Xianjin Ke 1*Zhikui Zhou Zhikui Zhou 2Baiyun Fan Baiyun Fan 2Qiang Chen Qiang Chen 2Xuezhong Li Xuezhong Li 2
  • 1 Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
  • 2 Jiangsu University Affiliated People's Hospital, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China

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

    Background Vitamins are essential micronutrients for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Objectives of the present study were to evaluate the association between dietary vitamin intake and cognitive function in elderly adults, and to explore the potential impact of serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) concentration. Methods Data from 468 elderly individuals with information regarding dietary consumption of 10 vitamins were used. Cognitive performance was assessed according to a composite Z-score of the Animal Fluency test (AFT), Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Serum NfL level was measured using a highly sensitive immunoassay. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to estimate the combined effects of vitamin mixtures on cognitive function. Results In both single- and multiple-vitamin models, individual with a higher intake of dietary vitamin K exhibited greater global cognitive function, compared to those with a lower vitamin intake. BKMR revealed positive associations between vitamin mixtures and global cognitive function, AFT Z-scores, and DSST Z-scores. Individuals in the third vitamin K intake tertile exhibited lower serum NfL levels than those in the first tertile (regression coefficient, β = -0.16 [95% confidence interval -0.29 to -0.02]; p = 0.023). Serum NfL level mediated the association between higher vitamin K intake and global cognitive function (8.73%). Conclusions Vitamin mixtures were positively associated with global cognitive function in elderly participants. The association between vitamin K intake and cognitive function may be mediated by serum NfL concentration.

    Keywords: Cognitive Function, Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression, Vitamins, Vitamin K, neurofilament light chain

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Ke, Zhou, Fan, Chen and Li. 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: Xianjin Ke, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 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.