OBJECTIVES: Previous research has shown that nutrition can influence cognitive abilities in older adults. We examined whether nutritional factors or inflammatory biomarkers moderate the age-cognition association. METHOD: Analyses included 1,308 participants (age ≥60) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Macronutrients (% of calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates), micronutrients/amino acids (blood serum values: Vitamins B12, C, D, E, folate, iron, homocysteine, and β-carotene), and inflammatory biomarkers (serum C-reactive protein, plasma fibrinogen, and serum ferritin) were examined as moderators with cognition. Cognition was measured by six tasks: immediate and delayed story recall, immediate and delayed word memory, digit subtraction, and questions about place/orientation. RESULTS: Higher values of serum folate were significantly associated with better cognitive scores. Specifically, the interaction between age-cognition and folate indicated the associations of higher age and lower global cognition and lower immediate story recall were weaker in those with higher folate values (p's < .05). A significant interaction between age and plasma fibrinogen indicated that the association between age and worse digit subtraction was stronger with values >3.1 g/L. DISCUSSION: Folate and fibrinogen were significant moderators between age and cognition. Further research into the relationship between nutrition, inflammation, and cognitive aging is needed.

H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute University of South Florida Tampa

International Clinical Research Center St Anne's University Hospital Brno Czech Republic

School of Aging Studies University of South Florida Tampa

Section on Geriatrics and Gerontology Wake Forest School of Medicine Winston Salem North Carolina

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