Too Many Carbs Raise Risk of Cognitive Decline in Elderly

ROCHESTER, Minn.People age 70 and older who consume foods high in carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study published in Journal of Alzheimers Disease. The findings also suggest the risk also increases with a diet heavy in sugar.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic who conducted the study found older people who consume high amounts of protein and fat relative to carbohydrates are less likely to become cognitively impaired.

Researchers tracked 1,230 people ages 70 to 89 who provided information on what they ate during the previous year. At that time, their cognitive function was evaluated by an expert panel of physicians, nurses and neuropsychologists. Of those participants, only the roughly 940 who showed no signs of cognitive impairment were asked to return for follow-up evaluations of their cognitive function. About four years into the study, 200 of those 940 were beginning to show mild cognitive impairment, problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes.

Those who reported the highest carbohydrate intake at the beginning of the study were 1.9 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest intake of carbohydrates. Participants with the highest sugar intake were 1.5 times likelier to experience mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest levels. Those whose diets were highest in fat, compared to the lowest, were 42% less likely to face cognitive impairment, and those who had the highest intake of protein had a reduced risk of 21%. When total fat and protein intake were taken into account, people with the highest carbohydrate intake were 3.6 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment.

A high carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," said lead author Rosebud Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist. Sugar fuels the brain, so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar, similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes."