Study Links Poor Nutrition to Accelerated Alzheimer’s Progression

Findings highlight nutrition’s role in Alzheimer’s progression, suggests dietary interventions may slow decline.

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A new study has uncovered a significant link between nutritional status and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that people with Alzheimer’s disease tend to have significantly poorer nutrition than those without Alzheimer’s and that nutritional status worsens as Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

The study, published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Nutrition, aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutritional status of Alzheimer’s patients and the progression of their disease. Researchers examined a total of 266 participants, with 73 having normal cognition, 72 having mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s, and 121 having dementia due to Alzheimer’s. Several factors were analyzed, including each participant’s body composition, dietary patterns, nutritional status, and nutrition-related laboratory results. The analysis determined that the participants with Alzheimer’s disease had significantly worse nutrition compared to the participants with normal cognition. The researchers also found that a person’s nutritional status tends to worsen further as Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

Study Findings Explained

The researchers found that certain personal factors made the participants more susceptible to poor nutrition. In particular, lower BMI, smaller calf and hip circumference, lower scores on a nutritional risk index, and lower levels of proteins were all associated with Alzheimer’s disease progression. According to the researchers, the most accurate predictor of Alzheimer’s was a combination of the levels of total protein and albumin in the blood, as well as the participant’s calf circumference.