The Role of Nutrition and Inflammation on Cognition in a High-Risk Group for Alzheimer’s Disease

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Treatments are necessary to target people at high risk for AD. Inflammation, particularly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), appears to be an important marker associated with the development of AD pathophysiology. Consuming a high-fat diet induces tissue expression of TNFα. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the relationship between nutrition, circulating inflammation, and cognition in African American women (age: M = 59.5 (±8.20) [42–73] years) at risk for developing AD. METHODS: Participants were split into high-fat and low-fat groups based on total dietary fat consumption self-reported on the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative Food Frequency Questionnaire (Delta NIRI FFQ). RESULTS: A high-fat diet was associated with increased blood serum TNFα (p = 0.02) compared to the low-fat diet. In addition, global cognition scores were 9.0% better in those who consumed a higher fat diet (p = 0.04). No significant differences across groups were noted for executive function, dual-tasking, and visuospatial performance. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that there may be multiple biological pathways involved in AD development, suggesting the need for more holistic approaches to mitigate AD-development risk.