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Apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 allele is a strong risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive decline. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation (DNAm) play a central role in cognition. This study sought to identify DNAm sites in the APOE genomic region associated with cognitive performance in a racially diverse middle-aged cohort (n = 411). Cognitive performance was measured by 11 standard neuropsychological tests. Two CpG sites were associated with the Card Rotation and Benton Visual Retention cognitive tests. The methylation level of the CpG site cg00397545 was associated with Card Rotation Test score (p = 0.000177) and a novel CpG site cg10178308 was associated with Benton Visual Retention Test score (p = 0.000084). Significant associations were observed among the dietary inflammatory index, which reflects the inflammatory potential of the diet, cognitive performance and the methylation level of several CpG sites. Our results indicate that DNAm in the APOE genomic area is correlated with cognitive performance and may presage cognitive decline.

Background: Temporality between socioeconomic status (SES), depressive symptoms (DS), dietary quality (DQ), and central adiposity (CA) is underexplored. Objectives: Alternative pathways linking SES to DQ, DS, and CA were tested and models compared, stratified by race and sex. Methods: With the use of data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (baseline age: 30–64 y; 2 visits; mean follow-up: 4.9 y), 12 structural equation models (SM) were conducted and compared. Time-dependent factors included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression [CES-D total score, baseline or visit 1 (v1), follow-up or visit 2 (v2), mean across visits (m), and annual rate of change (Δ)], 2010 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) (same notation), and central adiposity principal components' analysis score of waist circumference and trunk fat (kg) (Adipcent) (same notation). Sample sizes were white women (WW, n = 236), white men (WM, n = 159), African American women (AAW, n = 395), and African American men (AAM, n = 274), and a multigroup analysis within the SM framework was also conducted. Results: In the best-fitting model, overall, ∼31% of the total effect of SES→Adipcent(v2) (α ± SE: −0.10 ± 0.03, P < 0.05) was mediated through a combination of CES-D(v1) and ΔHEI. Two dominant pathways contributed to the indirect effect: SES→(−)CES-D(v1)→(+)Adipcent(v2) (−0.015) and SES→(+) ΔHEI→(−)Adipcent(v2) (−0.017), with a total indirect effect of −0.031 (P < 0.05). In a second best-fitting model, SES independently predicted Adipcent(v1, −0.069), ΔHEI(+0.037) and CES-D(v2, −2.70) (P < 0.05), with Adipcent(v1) marginally predicting ΔHEI(−0.014) and CES-D(v2, +0.67) (P < 0.10). These findings were indicative of DS's and CA's marginally significant bidirectional association (P < 0.10). Although best-fit–selected models were consistent across race × sex categories, path coefficients differed significantly between groups. Specifically, SES→Adipcent[v1(+0.11), v2(+0.14)] was positive among AAM (P < 0.05), and the overall positive association of Adipcent(v1)→CES-D(v2) was specific to AAW (+0.97, P < 0.10). Conclusions: Despite consistent model fit, pathways linking SES to DQ, DS, and CA differed markedly among the race × sex groups. Our findings can inform the potential effectiveness of various mental health and dietary interventions.

Recent evidence indicates that thyroid hormones may be closely linked to cognition among adults. We investigated associations between thyroid hormones and longitudinal cognitive change, within and outside of reference ranges, stratifying by sex and race. This longitudinal study used data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Lifespan study, set in Baltimore City, MD, 2004-2013, on adults aged 30-64 years at baseline visit, with a length of follow-up between visits 1 and 2 ranging from

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between food-related attitudes and food consumption in 36 older women during a four-day period. The subjects were white, 65 years or older, literate, lived independently, and perceived themselves as healthy. Attitudes toward food consumed were measured by the semantic differential technique. The participants scored 10 attitudes toward food consumed and also completed a food consumption record. Foods were categorized into one of seven food groups: milk; meat; eggs; grains; fruit; vegetables; sugars, sweets, and beverages. Among the questions this study attempted to answer were: Do older women consume foods because they are easy to prepare, are low in calories, and/or are economical? Food-related attitudes varied according to the food group and to the amount consumed. Spearman rank correlations showed significant relationships between certain attitudes and certain food groups consumed such as eat infrequently/frequently and unhealthful/healthful to eat with the milk and fruit groups. Stepwise multiple regressions found significant associations between certain attitudes such as dislike/love eating and eat infrequently/frequently and the milk and fruit groups. Nutrition educators may be able to use findings in this study to improve eating patterns based on food-related attitudes of the elderly.