Author Identifier (ORCID)
Samantha L. Gardener's ORCID record 
Hamid R. Sohrabi's ORCID record
Abstract
Background: Healthy lifestyle factors, including diet, may affect brain amyloid beta (Aβ) load. This study examines dietary patterns as moderators of the relationships among symptoms of depression, anxiety, and brain Aβ load. Method: A cross-sectional study of cognitively unimpaired older adults (n = 524) from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle study assessed dietary patterns, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and brain Aβ load. Moderation and simple slope analyses were conducted. Results: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet moderated the relationship between depressive and anxiety symptoms and brain Aβ load. Higher symptoms were associated with greater Aβ load in individuals with lower DASH adherence. This effect was also observed for anxiety symptoms in apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers. The Mediterranean and Western diets did not moderate these relationships. Conclusion: The DASH diet adherence may mitigate the impact of depressive and anxiety symptoms on brain Aβ load, supporting genotype-specific dietary interventions in mental and brain health. Highlights: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet moderates the links among depression, anxiety, and brain amyloid load. Higher symptoms were linked to greater amyloid load in those with low DASH adherence. This effect was observed for anxiety symptoms in apolipoprotein E ε4 allele carriers. Mediterranean and Western diets did not moderate these relationships. Findings support genotype-specific dietary interventions for brain and mental health.
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, amyloid beta, anxiety, depression, dietary patterns
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
8-1-2025
Volume
21
Issue
8
PubMed ID
40775676
Publication Title
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Publisher
Wiley
School
Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Information
The study has received partial financial support from the Alzheimer's Association (US), the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, an Anonymous foundation, the Science and Industry Endowment Fund, the Dementia Collaborative Research Centres, the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support program, the Australian Alzheimer's Research Foundation, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and The Yulgilbar Foundation. Numerous commercial interactions have supported data collection and analyses. In-kind support has also been provided by Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Cogstate Ltd, Hollywood Private Hospital, The University of Melbourne, and St Vincent's Hospital. SRRS is supported by an NHMRC Investigator Grant (GNT1197315).
Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
GNT1197315
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Shamsi, H. S. S. A., Gardener, S. L., Rainey‐Smith, S. R., Sohrabi, H. R., Taddei, K., Masters, C. L., Doré, V., Rowe, C., Fernando, W. M. A. D. B., & Martins, R. N. (2025). The role of diet in moderating the relationship between symptoms of depression and brain amyloid load. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 21(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70560