Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan
Cognitive health is a life-long concern affected by modifiable risk factors, including lifestyle choices, such as dietary intake, with serious implications for quality of life, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. In addition, nuts are a nutrient-dense food that contain a number of potentially neurop...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/1000 |
| _version_ | 1797618913618427904 |
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| author | Stephanie K. Nishi Aleix Sala-Vila Jordi Julvez Joan Sabaté Emilio Ros |
| author_facet | Stephanie K. Nishi Aleix Sala-Vila Jordi Julvez Joan Sabaté Emilio Ros |
| author_sort | Stephanie K. Nishi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive health is a life-long concern affected by modifiable risk factors, including lifestyle choices, such as dietary intake, with serious implications for quality of life, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. In addition, nuts are a nutrient-dense food that contain a number of potentially neuroprotective components, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, B-vitamins, non-sodium minerals, and highly bioactive polyphenols. However, increased nut consumption relates to a lower cardiovascular risk and a lower burden of cardiovascular risk factors that are shared with neurodegenerative disorders, which is why nuts have been hypothesized to be beneficial for brain health. The present narrative review discusses up-to-date epidemiological, clinical trial, and mechanistic evidence of the effect of exposure to nuts on cognitive performance. While limited and inconclusive, available evidence suggests a possible role for nuts in the maintenance of cognitive health and prevention of cognitive decline in individuals across the lifespan, particularly in older adults and those at higher risk. Walnuts, as a rich source of the plant-based polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, are the nut type most promising for cognitive health. Given the limited definitive evidence available to date, especially regarding cognitive health biomarkers and hard outcomes, future studies are needed to better elucidate the impact of nuts on the maintenance of cognitive health, as well as the prevention and management of cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:19:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-da1a68d645d74419b1e3f6e41a26833b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:19:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-da1a68d645d74419b1e3f6e41a26833b2023-11-16T22:31:53ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-02-01154100010.3390/nu15041000Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the LifespanStephanie K. Nishi0Aleix Sala-Vila1Jordi Julvez2Joan Sabaté3Emilio Ros4Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició, 43201 Reus, SpainCentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, SpainClinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience Group (NeuroÈpia), Institut d’ Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), 43007 Reus, SpainCenter for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USACentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, SpainCognitive health is a life-long concern affected by modifiable risk factors, including lifestyle choices, such as dietary intake, with serious implications for quality of life, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. In addition, nuts are a nutrient-dense food that contain a number of potentially neuroprotective components, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, B-vitamins, non-sodium minerals, and highly bioactive polyphenols. However, increased nut consumption relates to a lower cardiovascular risk and a lower burden of cardiovascular risk factors that are shared with neurodegenerative disorders, which is why nuts have been hypothesized to be beneficial for brain health. The present narrative review discusses up-to-date epidemiological, clinical trial, and mechanistic evidence of the effect of exposure to nuts on cognitive performance. While limited and inconclusive, available evidence suggests a possible role for nuts in the maintenance of cognitive health and prevention of cognitive decline in individuals across the lifespan, particularly in older adults and those at higher risk. Walnuts, as a rich source of the plant-based polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, are the nut type most promising for cognitive health. Given the limited definitive evidence available to date, especially regarding cognitive health biomarkers and hard outcomes, future studies are needed to better elucidate the impact of nuts on the maintenance of cognitive health, as well as the prevention and management of cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/1000nutscognitive performancebrain healthdementialifespanaging |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie K. Nishi Aleix Sala-Vila Jordi Julvez Joan Sabaté Emilio Ros Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan Nutrients nuts cognitive performance brain health dementia lifespan aging |
| title | Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan |
| title_full | Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan |
| title_short | Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan |
| title_sort | impact of nut consumption on cognition across the lifespan |
| topic | nuts cognitive performance brain health dementia lifespan aging |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/1000 |
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