Race/ethnicity and gender modify the association between diet and cognition in U.S. older adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014.

Introduction: It is unclear whether the association between Mediterranean-type Diet (MeDi) and cognition is similar across different racial/ethnic groups or between women and men. Methods: The current study included 2435 participants (≥60 years of age) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014. Linear regression models were applied to examine the association between diet and cognition, adjusted for multiple demographic variables. Interaction between MeDi and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, other), and between MeDi and gender, were examined, followed by stratified analyses. Results: One score increase in MeDi was associated with 0.039 (95%confidence interval [CI] = 0.016-0.062) higher global cognitive z-score. Significant associations between MeDi and global cognition and between MeDi and immediate recall were found in the non-Hispanic Whites only (P-interaction = 0.057 and 0.059, respectively). MeDi was associated with increased score of animal fluency score in men but not in women (P-interaction = 0.082). Discussion: The positive association between MeDi and cognition might be dependent on race/ethnicity and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]