The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies
Evidence shows that supplementary snacking could provide older adults with nutrients that cannot be obtained through three meals a day. However, whether and how supplementary snacking, especially nighttime snacking, affects older adults’ cognitive function remain unclear. The present study examined...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/22/4900 |
| _version_ | 1797464298912481280 |
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| author | Cheng-Cheng Niu Wei-Jie Bao Hai-Xin Jiang Jing Yu |
| author_facet | Cheng-Cheng Niu Wei-Jie Bao Hai-Xin Jiang Jing Yu |
| author_sort | Cheng-Cheng Niu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evidence shows that supplementary snacking could provide older adults with nutrients that cannot be obtained through three meals a day. However, whether and how supplementary snacking, especially nighttime snacking, affects older adults’ cognitive function remain unclear. The present study examined the effect of nighttime snacking on cognitive function for older adults. In study 1, we investigated the association between nighttime snacking and cognitive function based on data from 2618 community-dwelling older adults from the China health and nutrition survey (CHNS). In study 2, we conducted an experiment (<i>n</i> = 50) to explore how nighttime acute energy intake influences older adults’ performance on cognitive tasks (immediate recall, short-term delayed recall, and long-term delayed recall). Both the observational and experimental studies suggested that nighttime snacking facilitated older adults’ cognitive abilities, such as memory and mathematical ability, as indicated by subjective measures (study 1) and objective measures (studies 1 and 2). Moreover, this beneficial effect was moderated by cognitive load. These findings bridge the gap in the literature on the relationships between older adults’ nighttime snacking and cognitive function, providing insight into how to improve older adults’ dietary behaviors and cognitive function. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:05:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-861c7ebeac5d4dbc8b5e284017fb635e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:05:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-861c7ebeac5d4dbc8b5e284017fb635e2023-11-24T09:33:00ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-11-011422490010.3390/nu14224900The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental StudiesCheng-Cheng Niu0Wei-Jie Bao1Hai-Xin Jiang2Jing Yu3Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaEvidence shows that supplementary snacking could provide older adults with nutrients that cannot be obtained through three meals a day. However, whether and how supplementary snacking, especially nighttime snacking, affects older adults’ cognitive function remain unclear. The present study examined the effect of nighttime snacking on cognitive function for older adults. In study 1, we investigated the association between nighttime snacking and cognitive function based on data from 2618 community-dwelling older adults from the China health and nutrition survey (CHNS). In study 2, we conducted an experiment (<i>n</i> = 50) to explore how nighttime acute energy intake influences older adults’ performance on cognitive tasks (immediate recall, short-term delayed recall, and long-term delayed recall). Both the observational and experimental studies suggested that nighttime snacking facilitated older adults’ cognitive abilities, such as memory and mathematical ability, as indicated by subjective measures (study 1) and objective measures (studies 1 and 2). Moreover, this beneficial effect was moderated by cognitive load. These findings bridge the gap in the literature on the relationships between older adults’ nighttime snacking and cognitive function, providing insight into how to improve older adults’ dietary behaviors and cognitive function.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/22/4900older adultsnighttime snackingcognitive functiondietary habitacute ingestion |
| spellingShingle | Cheng-Cheng Niu Wei-Jie Bao Hai-Xin Jiang Jing Yu The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies Nutrients older adults nighttime snacking cognitive function dietary habit acute ingestion |
| title | The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies |
| title_full | The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies |
| title_short | The Effect of Nighttime Snacking on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Evidence from Observational and Experimental Studies |
| title_sort | effect of nighttime snacking on cognitive function in older adults evidence from observational and experimental studies |
| topic | older adults nighttime snacking cognitive function dietary habit acute ingestion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/22/4900 |
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