Physical activity, dietary habits and cognitive decline in over 65 years Italian outpatients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional pilot study

Abstract This pilot study aims to assess the relations between lifestyle and cognitive decline (CD) and to describe the prevalence of CD in outpatients over 65 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), examining the feasibility of a future research endeavor. This was a single-center pilot study, using a cross-sectional data collection. Lifestyles, including dietary habits and physical activities, were examined. To measure lifestyles, we used a self-report questionnaire aimed to explore seven domains: weekly consumption of bread, pasta, red meat, fish, alcohol, daily consumption of coffee, and weekly physical activities. To measure CD, the mini mental state examination was used. For the role of lifestyles in explaining cognitive functions, a multivariate regression model was used, where the physical activities and the diet treatment were the only significant predictors of cognitive efficiency. The model explained the 24% of the cognitive functions variance, showing a residuals normal distribution and no collinearity. This pilot study has some important limitations related to the study design. Nevertheless, it provides preliminary information to assess the feasibility of a future research endeavor, confirming the importance of lifestyles to prevent the CD in subjects with T2DM and giving cues for future investigation.