P4-449: CHEESE, THE ENGINE OF REASON? HEALTH, DIETARY, AND GENETIC FACTORS THAT TRACK FLUID INTELLIGENCE OVER 6 YEARS

Fluid intelligence is the ability to problem-solve using new and existing information. Greater age-related decline in fluid intelligence has been associated with preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since obesity, poor nutrition, and other unhealthy characteristics adversely affect executive function, it was of interest to examine to what degree longitudinal changes in health behaviors and diet predicted longitudinal changes in fluid intelligence. Cohort data from UK Biobank (n=2,327) were used to examine several dietary, health, and lifestyle factors and their associations with fluid intellect scores. In 2008, 2012, and 2014, participants completed touch-screen questionnaires that included the Fluid Intellect Test, sleep habits, tobacco use, and the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), which estimated weekly consumption of various food types. Mean aerobic activity was determined by actigraphy in 2014. Structural equation modeling (SEM) in R determined which factors significantly predicted fluid intellect scores over a 6-year period. Sex, age, education, social class, milk type, bread type, cannabis use, as well as DEXA-computed total fat mass and lean muscle mass were covaried. Subsequent analyses examined APOE4 and AD parental family history (FH) as potential moderators. Tobacco use, physical activity and sleep duration were not significant predictors and were removed from the final model. Greater weekly cheese intake was the best predictor of higher fluid intelligence scores (β=0.104, p<0.001), followed by grain intake (β=0.049, p=0.018). Curiously, vegetable intake was the best predictor of worse fluid intelligence (β=−0.069, p<0.001). An APOE4 interaction indicated that APOE4 carriers had worse declines in fluid intelligence for vegetable intake (APOE4-: β=−.058, p<.05; APOE4+: β=−.108, p<.05). A parental family history interaction indicated that FH+ had worse declines in fluid intelligence for white wine intake (FH-: β=−.047, p<.05; FH+: β=−.101, p<.05). Results suggest that greater weekly cheese and grain intake over 6 years was associated with better fluid intelligence performance, while greater vegetable and white wine intake were detrimental. APOE4 and AD FH could modify the effect of some dietary factors on fluid intelligence. Thus, dietary meal plans may need to be personalized for participants to potentially minimize cognitive decline.