Dietary patterns, cardiopreventive medications and cognitive decline: The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Project Summary

Cognitive decline is a growing public health concern as populations age. Many of the risk factors that affect brain health, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, are also important for heart health and can be modified through diet and medication. While healthy diets and heart-protective medications reduce cardiovascular risk, it remains unclear how they independently or jointly influence cognitive function. This study will use data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to examine how diet and the use of heart-protective medications relate to changes in cognitive function. The project will also explore whether inflammation could explain these relationships and will use metabolomics data in a subset of participants to better understand the biological pathways involved. By identifying dietary and medication-related factors associated with cognitive health, this project has the potential to inform strategies to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.