Food insufficiency is associated with more rapid cognitive decline.
Researchers analyzed data for thousands of individuals regarding their
level of food insecurity, cognitive health, and whether they benefitted
from the United States federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program.
Cognitive decline in people without enough food may be a result of poorer
nutrition, or of the stress of experiencing financial hardship severe
enough to keep them from buying the food they need.
The proportion of older people who lack food, often because of
limited financial resources, more than doubledTrusted Source in the United
States over the decade from 2007 to 2016 — from 5.5% to 12.4%.Programmes such as the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) have reduced the number of younger people going hungry. However,
research suggests that such efforts have been less successful for the
elderly, and for older women living alone in particular.
Researchers analyzed data for thousands of individuals regarding their
level of food insecurity, cognitive health, and whether they benefitted
from the United States federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program.
Cognitive decline in people without enough food may be a result of poorer
nutrition, or of the stress of experiencing financial hardship severe
enough to keep them from buying the food they need.
The proportion of older people who lack food, often because of
limited financial resources, more than doubledTrusted Source in the United
States over the decade from 2007 to 2016 — from 5.5% to 12.4%.Programmes such as the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) have reduced the number of younger people going hungry. However,
research suggests that such efforts have been less successful for the
elderly, and for older women living alone in particular.
Older people experiencing food insufficiency are more likely to have
physical limitations and are at risk of malnutrition and depression. A new
analysis of SNAP data finds that there is also an association between older
people with food insufficiency and more rapid cognitive decline.
People who were economically eligible for SNAP but who did not
participate in the program experienced a faster cognitive decline rate,
equivalent to what might be expected if they were 4.5 years older than
their actual age.
For an older person, 4 years of brain aging can be significant.
Compared with people who were food sufficient, those who were food
insufficient exhibited a greater cognitive decline, equivalent to being 3.8
years older.
