O1–05–03: Accordance to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is associated with slower cognitive decline

The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet has been shown to be protective against hypertension and diabetes, conditions that have also been shown to increase cognitive decline. The DASH diet is characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds/legumes, lean meats/fish/poultry, low- or non-fat dairy and low consumption of sweets and of sodium. We examined whether accordance to a DASH plan is associated with slower cognitive decline in a prospective cohort study of persons 65 years and older. The sample was comprised of participants of the Memory and Aging Project (MAP) who agreed to complete a 144-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (80% of surviving participants). A summary score (0–10) of accordance to the DASH diet was computed based on the assessment of the 8 dietary components above plus % energy from total fat and from saturated fat. A higher score reflects perfect DASH accordance. In annual neurological examinations, MAP participants' global cognitive function was assessed with a battery of 19 cognitive tests. Global cognitive scores were computed by averaging the z-scores of the individual tests. Analyses were performed on a sample of 823 participants who completed a FFQ and had undergone 2 or more cognitive assessments. The median time of follow-up was 4 years. The mean global cognitive score at baseline was 0.14 (range: -3.24 to 1.61), and the overall mean change in score per year was a decline of -0.08 standardized units. The mean DASH score was 4.0 ± 1.3 with a range from 1.5 to 8.5. In mixed models adjusted for age, sex, race, and education, the DASH diet score was positively associated with slower rate of cognitive decline. Per 1-unit change in DASH score the decline rate was slower by 0.010 standardized units (SE=0.004; p=0.006). These data support the hypothesis that the DASH diet characterized by high consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, poultry and fish and low in sweets and sodium is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in older persons.