Association between healthy eating index-2015 and various cognitive domains in US adults aged 60 years or older: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014

BACKGROUND: Diet, as a modifiable factor, plays an important role in cognitive function. However, the association between adherence to the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and cognitive function remains unclear. This study aims to explore whether HEI-2015 is associated with various cognitive domains and whether such association is modified by age, gender, or ethnicity in the US adults aged 60 years or older using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. METHODS: HEI-2015 scores were calculated from 24-h dietary recall interviews. Cognitive function was evaluated by Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST, a measure of processing speed), Animal Fluency Test (AFT, a measure of executive function), a subtest from Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease (CERAD, a measure of memory), and a composite-z score calculated by summing z scores of individual tests. The associations between HEI-2015 scores and cognitive performance were explored using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: A total of 2450 participants aged 60 years or older were included. Participants with higher HEI-2015 scores were more likely to have higher DSST, AFT as well as composite-z scores (P<0.05). Significant interaction effects were identified between HEI-2015 and ethnicity in specific cognitive domains (P(interaction)<0.05). Among HEI-2015 components, higher intakes of whole fruits and seafood and plant protein were associated with better cognitive performance (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher adherence to DGA is associated with better cognitive performance, especially regarding processing speed and executive function among the US adults aged 60 years or older. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11914-2.