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The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort
Poly C, Massaro JM, Seshadri S, Wolf PA, Cho E, Krall E, Jacques PF, Au R.. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2011-11-09
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Background Choline is the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Loss of cholinergic neurons is associated with impaired cognitive function, particularly memory loss and Alzheimer disease (AD). Brain atrophy and white-matter hyperintensity (WMH) are also associated with impaired cognitive function and AD. Objective The objective was to determine whether a relation exists between dietary choline intake, cognitive function, and brain morphology in a large, nondemented community-based cohort. Design A dementia-free cohort of 1391 subjects (744 women, 647 men; age range: 36-83 y; mean ± SD age: 60.9 ± 9.29 y) from the Framingham Offspring population completed a food-frequency questionnaire administered from 1991 to 1995 (exam 5; remote intake) and from 1998 to 2001 (exam 7; concurrent intake). Participants underwent neuropsychological evaluation and brain MRI at exam 7. Four neuropsychological factors were constructed: verbal memory (VM), visual memory (VsM), verbal learning, and executive function. MRI measures included WMH volume (WMHV). Results Performance on the VM and VsM factors was better with higher concurrent choline intake in multivariable-adjusted models for VM (average change in neuropsychological factor per 1-unit change in choline = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.91; P Conclusion In this community-based population of nondemented individuals, higher concurrent choline intake was related to better cognitive performance, whereas higher remote choline intake was associated with little to no WMHV.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Poly, C., Massaro, J. M., Seshadri, S., Wolf, P. A., Cho, E., Krall, E., et al. (2011). The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The American journal of clinical nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.008938
Vancouver
Poly C, Massaro JM, Seshadri S, Wolf PA, Cho E, Krall E, et al. The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2011. doi:10.3945/ajcn.110.008938. PMID: 22071706.
BibTeX
@article{poly2011-22071706,
author = {Poly, C. and Massaro, J. M. and Seshadri, S. and Wolf, P. A. and Cho, E. and Krall, E. and Jacques, P. F. and Au, R.},
title = {{The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort}},
journal = {The American journal of clinical nutrition},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.3945/ajcn.110.008938},
pmid = {22071706},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.008938}
}
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 8 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
- Loss of cholinergic neurons is associated with impaired cognitive function, particularly memory loss and Alzheimer disease (AD).
- Brain atrophy and white-matter hyperintensity (WMH) are also associated with impaired cognitive function and AD.
- Results Performance on the VM and VsM factors was better with higher concurrent choline intake in multivariable-adjusted models for VM (average change in neuropsychological factor per 1-unit change in choline = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.91; P < 0.01) and VsM (0.66; 95% CI: 0.19, 1.13; P < 0.01).
Why it matters
In this community-based cohort of nondemented people, higher concurrent dietary choline intake was associated with better verbal and visual memory performance. This is an observational association and does not show that choline intake prevents or treats Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants1,391
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of clinical nutrition) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: journal h-index 499 (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 | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | 3 / 4 | 1,391 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 158 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.3 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× 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 41 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Rhoda Au: h-index 90 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Boston University: institution h-index 1,456 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22071706) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.110.008938
- PubMed: 22071706
- Original source →
- Free full text: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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