The moderating effect of diet on the relationship between depressive symptoms and Alzheimer's disease-related blood-based biomarkers

Abstract

Associations between mental health, diet, and risk of Alzheimer's disease highlight the need to investigate whether dietary patterns moderate the relationship between symptoms of depression and anxiety, and neurodegeneration-related blood-based biomarkers. Cognitively unimpaired participants (n = 89) were included from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study (mean age 75.37; 44 % male). Participants provided dietary, depressive and anxiety symptom data, and had measurement of blood-based biomarkers. Dietary pattern scores (Mediterranean diet (MeDi), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet (DASH), and Western diet) were generated. Moderation and simple slope analyses were employed. In males with mean and below mean MeDi adherence, depressive symptoms were associated with higher neurofilament light (NfL) levels. In Apolipoprotein E ε4 non-carriers with lower than mean and mean MeDi adherence, depressive symptoms were associated with higher NfL and Aβ40 levels. No associations were observed between DASH and Western diets and neurodegeneration-related biomarkers. MeDi adherence is potentially a moderator of the relationship between depressive symptoms and neurodegeneration-related blood-based biomarkers, with sex- and genotype-specific approaches important to consider within this relationship.

Keywords

Alzheimer's disease, Anxiety symptoms, Blood-based biomarkers, Depressive symptoms, Dietary patterns, Moderation

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

3-1-2025

Volume

147

PubMed ID

39837054

Publication Title

Neurobiology of Aging

Publisher

Elsevier

School

Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care / School of Medical and Health Sciences

Funding Information

The AIBL Study (www.AIBL.csiro.au) is a consortium between Austin Health, CSIRO, Edith Cowan University, the Florey Institute (The University of Melbourne), and the National Ageing Research Institute. 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. H.A. is supported by an Omani Consulate PhD Scholarship. S.R.RS. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (GNT1197315).

Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

GNT1197315

Comments

Al Shamsi, H. S. S., Gardener, S. L., Rainey-Smith, S. R., Pedrini, S., Sohrabi, H. R., Taddei, K., ... & AIBL research group. (2025). The moderating effect of diet on the relationship between depressive symptoms and Alzheimer’s disease-related blood-based biomarkers. Neurobiology of Aging, 147, 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.01.003

Copyright

subscription content

Content Type

Metadata only

First Page

213

Last Page

222

Recommended Citation

Al Shamsi, H. S. S., Gardener, S. L., Rainey-Smith, S. R., Pedrini, S., Sohrabi, H. R., Taddei, K., ... & AIBL research group. (2025). The moderating effect of diet on the relationship between depressive symptoms and Alzheimer’s disease-related blood-based biomarkers. Neurobiology of Aging, 147, 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.01.003

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.01.003