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AlzRisk Paper Detail
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Reference: Feart, 2009
Cohort: Three-City Study
Risk Factor: Dietary Pattern


Exposure Detail
Dietary habits were recorded at baseline using a dietitian-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour dietary recall. The FFQ was used to measure consumption frequencies of different food items, and the 24-hour recall was used to measure total energy intake.

A Mediterranean diet score (range: 0-9) was computed using sex-specific median cutoffs of intake for nine different food categories, with a higher score indicating stronger adherence to a Mediterranean diet. For those food categories thought to be beneficial (vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish, monounsaturated to saturated fat ratio), a 1 was assigned for intake at or above the cutoff, and a 0 otherwise. For those food categories thought to be harmful (meat, dairy), the scoring method was reversed. For alcohol intake, a 1 was assigned for 7-14 glasses per week for men, 1-4 glasses per week for women, and a 0 otherwise.

Ethnicity Detail
Participants included residents from the cities of Bordeaux, Dijon, and Montpellier, France. No other information on ethnicity was reported.

Screening and Diagnosis Detail
Screening Method:
BVRTBenton Visual Retention Test (Benton 1974)
ISTIsaacs' Set Test (Isaacs & Kennie 1973)
MMSEMini-Mental State Examination (Folstein 1975)
Other

AD Diagnosis:
DSM IV Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV

Total dementia definition: Dementia via DSM-IV.

"The diagnosis of dementia was based on a 2-step procedure following administration of the battery of neuropsychological tests[13]. At each wave, participants suspected of having dementia based on their present neuropsychological performances and decline relative to a previous examination were examined by a neurologist. An independent committee of neurologists then reviewed all potential cases of dementia and analyzed in depth the medical history of each participant to obtain a consensus on the diagnosis and etiology according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(Fourth Edition)."

Covariates & Analysis Detail
Analysis Type:
Cox proportional hazards regression

Age was the time scale in the proportional hazards analysis.

AD Covariates:
Eeducation
Ggender
APOE4APOE e4 genotype
BMIbody mass index
Kcalcaloric intake
DEPdepression
DMdiabetes mellitus
HChigh cholesterol
HTNhypertension
MSmarital status
MEDSmedication use
PAphysical activity
SMsmoking status
SHstroke history

TD Covariates:
Eeducation
Ggender
APOE4APOE e4 genotype
BMIbody mass index
Kcalcaloric intake
DEPdepression
DMdiabetes mellitus
HChigh cholesterol
HTNhypertension
MSmarital status
MEDSmedication use
PAphysical activity
SMsmoking status
SHstroke history

Note that a 1-point increase in the Mediterranean diet score corresponds to an approximately 0.5 increase in standard deviation of the score in this population.