Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Influences Impact the Associations between Diet and Resting-State Functional Connectivity: A Study from the UK Biobank

Background: Red wine and dairy products have been staples in human diets for a long period. However, the impact of red wine and dairy intake on brain network activity remains ambiguous and requires further investigation. Methods: This study investigated the associations between dairy and red wine consumption and seven neural networks’ connectivity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a sub-cohort of the UK Biobank database. Linear mixed models were employed to regress dairy and red wine consumption against the intrinsic functional connectivity for each neural network. Interactions with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk factors, including apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) genotype, TOMM40 genotype, and family history of AD, were also assessed. Result: More red wine consumption was associated with enhanced connectivity in the central executive function network and posterior default mode network. Greater milk intake was correlated with more left executive function network connectivity, while higher cheese consumption was linked to reduced posterior default mode network connectivity. For participants without a family history of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), increased red wine consumption was positively correlated with enhanced left executive function network connectivity. In contrast, participants with a family history of AD displayed diminished network connectivity in relation to their red wine consumption. The association between cheese consumption and neural network connectivity was influenced by APOE4 status, TOMM40 status, and family history, exhibiting contrasting patterns across different subgroups. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that family history modifies the relationship between red wine consumption and network strength. The interaction effects between cheese intake and network connectivity may vary depending on the presence of different genetic factors.