Associations of Dietary Decanoic Acid Intake With Cognitive Function in the Elderly and the Mediating Effects of Hypertension and Diabetes: An Analysis From NHANES 2011-2014.

Dietary decanoic acid (DDA) intake was positively associated with comprehensive cognitive function in older adults after adjusting for confounding variables.

• β = 0.539, 95% CI: 0.168–0.910, p = 0.007
• Analysis included 2246 older adults aged 60 years and older from NHANES 2011–2014
• Weighted multivariate linear regression was used with adjustment for confounding variables
• DDA intake was derived from two 24-hour dietary recalls

Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis showed a positive correlation between DDA intake and comprehensive cognitive function.

• p-value for overall < 0.001
• p-value for nonlinearity = 0.050, suggesting a borderline nonlinear relationship
• RCS curves were used to visualize the dose-response relationship between DDA intake and cognitive function

The association between DDA intake and cognitive function remained consistent across subgroups.

• All p-values for interaction were > 0.05 across subgroups
• Subgroup analyses were conducted to assess effect modification
• The consistency of results across subgroups suggests the association is not substantially modified by demographic or clinical characteristics

Hypertension partially mediated the relationship between DDA intake and cognitive function.

• The indirect effect of hypertension accounted for 27.53% of the total effect
• Mediation analysis was used to estimate the proportion of the DDA–cognition association explained by hypertension
• This suggests hypertension is a meaningful pathway through which DDA intake may influence cognitive function

Diabetes partially mediated the relationship between DDA intake and cognitive function.

• The indirect effect of diabetes accounted for 24.33% of the total effect
• Mediation analysis was used to estimate the proportion of the DDA–cognition association explained by diabetes
• Together, hypertension and diabetes jointly mediated over half of the total association between DDA intake and cognitive function

Cognitive function was assessed using four standardized tests across a sample of 2246 older adults.

• Tests included: immediate recall test (IRT), delayed recall test (DRT), animal fluency test (AFT), and digit symbol substitution test (DSST)
• Higher scores on all tests indicated better cognitive performance
• Participants were aged 60 years and older from NHANES 2011–2014
• A composite measure of comprehensive cognitive function was used as an outcome