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Reference: Morris, 2015
Cohort: Memory and Aging Project
Risk Factor: Dietary Pattern


Average Follow-up Time Detail
Person years of follow-up was estimated from the sample size and average follow-up time.

Exposure Detail
Dietary intake was recorded using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Participants were asked about the usual frequency of consumption for 144 food items over the previous 12 months. Scores for three different dietary patterns were measured: the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), and the Mediterranean diet.

"The MIND diet score has 15 dietary components including 10 brain healthy food groups (green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine) and five unhealthy food groups (red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried/fast food). Olive oil consumption was scored 1 if identified by the participant as the primary oil usually used at home and 0 otherwise. For all other diet score components we summed the frequency of consumption of each food item portion associated with that component and then assigned a concordance score of 0, 0.5, or 1. The total MIND diet score was computed by summing over all 15 of the component scores.

The DASH diet scoring [10], was based on seven food groups and three dietary components (total fat, saturated fat, and sodium), each scored 0, 0.5, or 1, and summed for a total score ranging from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest) diet concordance.

The MedDiet Score was computed based on scoring described by Panagiotakos and colleagues [11]. The scoring uses serving quantities of the traditional Greek Mediterranean diet as the comparison metric. It includes 11 dietary components each scored 0 to 5 that are summed for a total score ranging from 0 to 55 (highest dietary concordance). "

Ethnicity Detail
No information on race/ethnicity was provided. All participants were residents in the area of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.

Screening and Diagnosis Detail
AD Diagnosis:
NINCDS ADRDA National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association Criteria (McKhann 1984)

"Briefly, the AD diagnosis was made by an experienced clinician using data from a structured neurological examination and medical history, cognitive performance testing, and with the assistance of an algorithmically based rating of cognitive impairment. The AD diagnosis was based on criteria of the joint working group of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association."

Covariates & Analysis Detail
Analysis Type:
Cox proportional hazards regression

AD Covariates:
Aage
Eeducation
Ggender
APOE4APOE e4 genotype
Kcalcaloric intake
CVRFcardiovascular risk factors
CA-PastPast Cognitive Activity
PAphysical activity