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Vegetable and Fruit Intake, Its Patterns, and Cognitive Function: Cross-Sectional Findings among Older Adults in Anhui, China

  • Original Research
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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

To examine the associations of vegetable and fruit intake frequency, its patterns, and cognition among older Chinese adults.

Design

Cross-sectional data obtained from the Anhui Province Healthy Longevity Survey.

Setting

Urban and rural communities.

Participants

A total of 5410 older adults (aged 60 or older) were included from selected communities.

Measurements

Data on the number of days in a typical week that vegetables and fruits were consumed were collected, and the four intake patterns were defined (V+/F+: daily intake of both vegetables and fruit; V+/F− or V−/F+: daily intake of vegetables or fruit; and V−/F−: no daily intake of either vegetables or fruit). Cognitive function was measured using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was defined according to education-specific criteria.

Results

Nondaily vegetable intake was associated with lower MMSE scores (β = −0.763, 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.463, −0.064) among males and a higher likelihood of having MCI (OR: 1.409, 95% CI: 1.037, 1.915) among females. Less frequent intake of fruit was associated with lower MMSE scores and a higher prevalence of MCI among both males and females (p for trends < 0.001 for both sexes). Compared with the V+/F+ group, male participants who were classified into the V+/F− and V−/F− groups had lower MMSE scores (V+/F−: β = −0.612, 95% CI: −1.094, −0.131; V−/F−: β = −1.273, 95% CI: −2.090, −0.455). Females classified in the V+/F− and V−/F− patterns had lower MMSE scores (V+/F−: β = −0.862, 95% CI: −1.320, −0.404; V−/F−: β = −1.293, 95% CI: −2.079, −0.507) and elevated risks of MCI (V+/F−: OR: 1.762, 95% CI: 1.386, 2.242; V−/F−: OR: 2.180, 95% CI: 1.505, 3.156).

Conclusion

Lower vegetable or fruit intake was associated with poorer cognitive performance among males and females, and the risk was even higher among those with a low intake of both vegetables and fruits. Healthy eating habits, including daily vegetable and fruit intake, are essential for cognition maintenance in both males and females.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all participants in the AHLS for providing their personal data. We also thank all colleagues involved in the study for their cooperation and efforts in data collection and management.

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72004003 to Z.Y.), the Key Project of Science and Technology of Anhui Province (Grant No. 202004b11020019 to S.G.), and the Hefei Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2021005 to S.G.). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Service Management, Anhui Medical University, 81-Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, P.R. China

    H. Fangfang, W. Qiong, Z. Shuai, H. Xiao, Z. Jingya &  Zhang Yan

  2. Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Gerontology Institute of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 17-Lujiang Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, P.R. China

    Shen Guodong

  3. Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Shen Guodong

Authors
  1. H. Fangfang
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  2. W. Qiong
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  3. Z. Shuai
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  4. H. Xiao
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  5. Z. Jingya
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  6. Shen Guodong
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Contributions

Authors Contributions: All authors meet the criteria for authorship according to the COI form and their contributions to the manuscript. H.F. drafted the manuscript. G.S. and Y.Z. framed the concept and designed the study. The data collection and material preparation were conducted by Z.S., W.Q., and Z.J., and the data analysis was performed by H.X. and Z.Y.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shen Guodong or Zhang Yan.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China (No. 2020H011). Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Fangfang, H., Qiong, W., Shuai, Z. et al. Vegetable and Fruit Intake, Its Patterns, and Cognitive Function: Cross-Sectional Findings among Older Adults in Anhui, China. J Nutr Health Aging 26, 529–536 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1791-y

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