Affiliations: [a] University of Bordeaux, INSERM, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR 1219, Bordeaux, France
| [b] Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Bordeaux Univ. Hospital, Bordeaux, France
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Jeanne Neuffer, Inserm U1219, ISPED, Univ. Bordeaux, CS 61292, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux cedex, France. Tel.: +33 06 73 31 60 90; E-mail: jeanne.neuffer@u-bordeaux.fr.
Abstract: Background:Low blood status in several nutritional compounds, including long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA), carotenoids, and vitamin D, have been associated with a higher risk to develop dementia. Nutritional deficiencies may potentiate each other regarding dementia risk; yet the association of multiple nutritional deficiencies with dementia has been little explored. Objective:To develop an index of micronutritional biological status (MNBS) for the screening of multi-micronutritional deficiencies associated with the risk of dementia in a prospective population-based cohort of older persons. Methods:We included participants from the Bordeaux Three-City study, who were free of dementia at baseline, had blood measurements of LC n-3 PUFA, carotenoids, and 25(OH)D, and who were followed for up to 18 years for dementia. We used penalized splines in Cox models to model dose-response relationships of each nutritional component with the risk of dementia and construct a risk index. Results:629 participants with an average age of 73.1 years were included in the study. Each increase of 1 SD of the MNBS index was associated with a 46%higher risk of dementia (HR = 1.46, 95%CI 1.23; 1.73). Participants with highest index ([mean+1SD; max]) had a 4-fold increased risk of dementia compared with participants with a low index ([min; mean-1SD]) (HR = 4.17, 95%CI 2.30; 7.57). Conclusion:This index of assessment of micronutritional biological status is a practical tool that may help identify populations with inadequate nutritional status, screen eligible individuals for nutritional prevention in primary care, or for supplementation in preventive trials of dementia.
