Dietary intake of pantothenic acid is associated with cerebral amyloid burden in patients with cognitive impairment

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the deposition of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in diffuse and neuritic plaques. Previous research has suggested that certain vitamins may prevent this process. In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between vitamin intake and cerebral Aβ burden in patients with cognitive impairment. This study included 19 patients with subjective cognitive impairment and 30 patients with mild cognitive impairment. All patients underwent brain MRI and (18)F-florbetaben positron emission tomography. The Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to evaluate dietary intake of the 15 vitamins. Intake of vitamin B6 (p = 0.027), vitamin K (p = 0.042), vitamin A (p = 0.063), riboflavin (p = 0.063), β-carotene (p = 0.081), pantothenic acid (p = 0.092), and niacin (p = 0.097) was higher in the Aβ-positive group than in the Aβ-negative group. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that pantothenic acid intake was an independent determinant of cerebral Aβ burden (β = 0.287, p = 0.029). No significant correlations were observed between cerebral Aβ burden and the intake of other vitamins. Our findings demonstrated that pantothenic acid intake may be associated with increased cerebral Aβ burden in patients with cognitive impairment. These results may offer insight into potential strategies for AD prevention.