TOPLINE:

Food insecurity was linked to higher risks for dementia, cognitive impairment with dementia, and cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND), especially in adults younger than 65 years, a new US study showed.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, for more than 5800 participants aged 50 years or older (mean age, 67 years; 59% women) without baseline dementia or memory problems.
• Using the validated Six-Item Food Security Survey Module, participants were classified as having high, low (9% of participants), or very low (7% of participants) food security; all were followed for a median of 8.7 years.
• Associations were examined between food insecurity and risks for dementia, cognitive impairment with dementia, and CIND, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, clinical comorbidities, and depressive symptoms.

TAKEAWAY:

• About 423 participants developed dementia during follow-up, 972 developed CIND, and 1215 developed cognitive impairment with dementia.
• Individuals with low food security had a higher risk for dementia than those with high food security (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.7; P = .04 for trend).
• Low or very low food security was significantly associated with increased risk for CIND (aHRs, 1.7 and 1.8, respectively; P < .001) and cognitive impairment with dementia (aHRs, 1.6 and 1.65, respectively; P = .001).
• The associations between low food security and cognitive outcomes were stronger among adults younger than 65 years (dementia: aHR, 2.8; P = .02; CIND: aHR, 2.2; P = .003; cognitive impairment with dementia: aHR, 2.2; P = .001).

IN PRACTICE:

“Stronger associations among older adults younger than 65 years suggest that this subgroup may gain greater cognitive benefits from interventions targeting food insecurity,” the investigators wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Heejin Lee, PhD, Chan School of Public Health, Boston. It was published online on September 24 in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by potential unmeasured or residual confounding and by a single assessment of food insecurity.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some investigators reported receiving grants from organizations, including the NIH. Full details are provided in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.