Dietary Choline and Betaine Intake and 2-year Changes in Cognitive Function in Older Adults With Overweight or Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Analysis

BACKGROUND: Dietary choline and betaine may protect against cognitive decline. OBJECTIVES: To examine longitudinal associations between dietary choline and betaine intake and 2-y cognitive changes in older adults. METHODS: This prospective cohort study is a secondary analysis nested within the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Participants included 6610 older adults aged 55-75 y with metabolic syndrome. Dietary choline and betaine intake were estimated at baseline, 1, and 2 y using a validated 143-item food frequency questionnaire. Cumulative averages were calculated. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline and 2 y using 5 composite scores based on 8 neuropsychological tests covering global cognition, general cognition, attention, executive function, and language. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models evaluated associations between energy-adjusted cumulative average intakes and 2-y cognitive changes. RESULTS: ; P-trend = 0.036) compared with the lowest tertile. CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary choline and betaine intake were associated with modest short-term improvements in cognitive performance over 2 y in older adults. Longer-term studies are warranted. This trial was registered at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN89898870.