DASH diet adherence and cognitive function: Multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

Summary Background and aims The Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been associated with better cognitive function in studies of predominantly White participants; few studies have examined this association in diverse cohorts. Our objective was to examine the association between the DASH diet and cognitive function in the diverse Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort. Methods Among 4169 MESA participants, we evaluated prospectively, the association between DASH diet adherence and cognitive function. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline (2000–2002) and cognitive function was assessed using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), Digit Symbol Coding (DSC), and Digit Span (DS) at Exam 5 in 2010–2012 and Exam 6 (2016–2019). Regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between quintiles of DASH diet adherence with CASI, DSC, and DS performance and decline, adjusting for potential confounders. Effect modification by hypertension, diabetes, race/ethnicity, acculturation, and exercise were evaluated. Results DASH diet adherence was not associated with cognitive performance or decline for any of the measures. There were no differences by racial/ethnic groups, with the exception that Hispanic participants reporting greater DASH diet adherence, performed worse on DS at Exam 5 (p = 0.05). Components of the DASH diet were differentially correlated with test performance: increased consumption of nuts/legumes was associated with better performance on the CASI at Exam 5 (p = 0.003) and Exam 6 (p = 0.007). Increased consumption of whole grains was associated with better DSC performance at Exam 5 (p = 0.04) and better DS performance at Exam 6 (p = 0.01). Conclusions DASH diet adherence was nominally associated with cognitive function with a suggestion of differences by race/ethnicity. Future work should examine more closely, the relationships between racial and ethnic groups and the impact of diet on cognitive function.