{"title":"Association between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function among older adults: A cross-sectional study","authors":"Yun Zhao , Wei Li , Binglin Yang, Dongxu Zhai, Hui Xu, Xia Liu, Shushan Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.clnesp.2025.03.034","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study investigated the association between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function in older adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. A total of 2555 participants, aged 60 years and older, were included in the analysis. Dietary potassium intake was estimated by averaging two 24-h dietary recalls. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), which measures processing speed. We applied multivariate logistic regression models to examine the relationship between potassium intake and cognitive function.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among the 2555 participants included from NHANES 2011–2014, those in the highest quartile of potassium intake (Q4) demonstrated significantly better cognitive function compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1) (OR = 0.542, 95 % CI: 0.378–0.778, <em>p</em> < 0.05) in the fully adjusted model. The relationship between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function in U.S. adults was found to be nonlinear (<em>p</em> for nonlinear = 0.028). In univariate analysis, as dietary potassium intake increased, the risk of suffering from cognitive decline or abnormalities decreased (OR (Q2) = 0.592; OR (Q3) = 0.401; OR (Q4) = 0.34; <em>p</em> < 0.001). In statistically significant subgroup analyses, it was also found that people with high dietary potassium intake were at less risk of cognitive impairment or abnormalities than those with low dietary potassium intake (<em>p</em> < 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Higher dietary potassium intake may reduce the risk of cognitive decline or abnormalities in older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10352,"journal":{"name":"Clinical nutrition ESPEN","volume":"67 ","pages":"Pages 427-434"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical nutrition ESPEN","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405457725001263","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"NUTRITION & DIETETICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
Association between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function among older adults: A cross-sectional study
Objective
This study investigated the association between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function in older adults.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. A total of 2555 participants, aged 60 years and older, were included in the analysis. Dietary potassium intake was estimated by averaging two 24-h dietary recalls. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), which measures processing speed. We applied multivariate logistic regression models to examine the relationship between potassium intake and cognitive function.
Results
Among the 2555 participants included from NHANES 2011–2014, those in the highest quartile of potassium intake (Q4) demonstrated significantly better cognitive function compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1) (OR = 0.542, 95 % CI: 0.378–0.778, p < 0.05) in the fully adjusted model. The relationship between dietary potassium intake and cognitive function in U.S. adults was found to be nonlinear (p for nonlinear = 0.028). In univariate analysis, as dietary potassium intake increased, the risk of suffering from cognitive decline or abnormalities decreased (OR (Q2) = 0.592; OR (Q3) = 0.401; OR (Q4) = 0.34; p < 0.001). In statistically significant subgroup analyses, it was also found that people with high dietary potassium intake were at less risk of cognitive impairment or abnormalities than those with low dietary potassium intake (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Higher dietary potassium intake may reduce the risk of cognitive decline or abnormalities in older adults.
期刊介绍:
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is an electronic-only journal and is an official publication of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). Nutrition and nutritional care have gained wide clinical and scientific interest during the past decades. The increasing knowledge of metabolic disturbances and nutritional assessment in chronic and acute diseases has stimulated rapid advances in design, development and clinical application of nutritional support. The aims of ESPEN are to encourage the rapid diffusion of knowledge and its application in the field of clinical nutrition and metabolism. Published bimonthly, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN focuses on publishing articles on the relationship between nutrition and disease in the setting of basic science and clinical practice. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is available to all members of ESPEN and to all subscribers of Clinical Nutrition.