PURPOSE:

The aim of this study was to present a summary of the results obtained in the PAQUID study regarding wine consumption, fish and seafood consumption and vitamin A and E plasma concentrations.

METHODS:

This study was carried out from the PAQUID (Personnes Agees QUID) cohort, an epidemiological study on cognitive and functional aging after 65 years in Southwestern France. The relationship between nutritional factors and risk of incident dementia was measured using logistic regression or Cox proportional hazards models on different subsamples of the cohort.

RESULTS:

Among 2950 initially non-demented subjects, moderate drinkers had a decreased relative risk of developing a dementia in the subsequent 8 years (RR=0.56) compared to non-drinkers. In a sub-sample of 1416 subjects, those who ate fish or seafood at least once a week had a significant reduced risk of incident dementia adjusted for age and sex (RR=0.66). Lastly, a nested casecontrol study was performed among 182 subjects. Adjusted for confounders, the risk of dementia was significantly increased for the lowest vitamin E concentration compared to the highest one (OR=2.54).

DISCUSSION:

These results are in agreement with a possible protective role of a diet rich in poly-unsaturated fats and antioxidant components. However, confounding factors such as education and lifestyle may be involved and should be further explored.