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Diet and Alzheimer's disease risk factors or prevention: the current evidence
Solfrizzi V, Panza F, Frisardi V, Seripa D, Logroscino G, Imbimbo BP, Pilotto A.. Expert review of neurotherapeutics, 2011-05-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Poorer cognitive function and an increased risk of vascular dementia (VaD) were found to be associated with a lower consumption of milk or dairy products. However, the consumption of whole-fat dairy products may be associated with cognitive decline in the elderly. Light-to-moderate alcohol use may be associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia and AD, while for VaD, cognitive decline and predementia syndromes, the current evidence is only suggestive of a protective effect. Only recently, higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet was associated with decreased cognitive decline, although the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) combines several foods, micro- and macro-nutrients already separately proposed as potential protective factors against dementia and predementia syndromes. In fact, recent prospective studies provided evidence that higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet could be associated with slower cognitive decline, reduced risk of progression from MCI to AD, reduced risk of AD and a decreased all-cause mortality in AD patients. These findings suggested that adherence to the MeDi may affect not only the risk of AD, but also of predementia syndromes and their progression to overt dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Solfrizzi, V., Panza, F., Frisardi, V., Seripa, D., Logroscino, G., Imbimbo, B. P., et al. (2011). Diet and Alzheimer's disease risk factors or prevention: the current evidence. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.11.56
Vancouver
Solfrizzi V, Panza F, Frisardi V, Seripa D, Logroscino G, Imbimbo BP, et al. Diet and Alzheimer's disease risk factors or prevention: the current evidence. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 2011. doi:10.1586/ern.11.56. PMID: 21539488.
BibTeX
@article{solfrizzi2011-21539488,
author = {Solfrizzi, V. and Panza, F. and Frisardi, V. and Seripa, D. and Logroscino, G. and Imbimbo, B. P. and Pilotto, A.},
title = {{Diet and Alzheimer's disease risk factors or prevention: the current evidence}},
journal = {Expert review of neurotherapeutics},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1586/ern.11.56},
pmid = {21539488},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.11.56}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Poorer cognitive function and an increased risk of vascular dementia (VaD) were found to be associated with a lower consumption of milk or dairy products.
- However, the consumption of whole-fat dairy products may be associated with cognitive decline in the elderly.
- Light-to-moderate alcohol use may be associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia and AD, while for VaD, cognitive decline and predementia syndromes, the current evidence is only suggestive of a protective effect.
- Only recently, higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet was associated with decreased cognitive decline, although the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) combines several foods, micro- and macro-nutrients already separately proposed as potential protective factors against dementia and predementia syndromes.
- In fact, recent prospective studies provided evidence that higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet could be associated with slower cognitive decline, reduced risk of progression from MCI to AD, reduced risk of AD and a decreased all-cause mortality in AD patients.
Why it matters
This review reports that higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet was linked to slower cognitive decline and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in prospective studies. These are observational findings and do not prove that diet prevents or treats Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Expert review of neurotherapeutics) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics: journal h-index 125 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 299 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 17.6 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 43 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Alberto Pilotto: h-index 45 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Bari Aldo Moro: institution h-index 586 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21539488) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
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