The Effects Of Homocysteine On Cognitive Impairment,Diabetes Incidence And The Role Of Diet And Vitamin B Group

Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid. Homocysteine has been confirmed as a risk factor of aging related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Research on homocysteine can find a way to prevent these diseases. The prevalence of diabetes and cognition impairment increase with ageing. Research has found that diabetes and impairment cognition maybe have the common basis in pathophysiology, however, this relationship hadn’t been confirmed by epidemiology study. It has been reported that the incidence of cognitive impairment and diabetes were improved in people with hyperhomocysteinemia, but the results were not consistent. Dietary and nutrition has an important role on health, which can prevent disease in a right way. In a cross sectional analysis and cohort study, a statistic method of Cox proportional hazards model and logistic model were used. The data from Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan was used to study the effects of homocysteine on cognition, diabetes and mortality. The role of dietary quality and vitamin B group was tested. Main outcome as following:1) Elder women with cognitive impairment had a higher diabetes incidence. After adjusting related variables, the hazard ratio and95%confidence interval for type2diabetes with normal cognition as referent was2.43(1.27-4.63). Dietary diversity decreased the risk of diabetes in cognitive impairment women.2) There was no significant association between homocysteine and cognition. The odds ratio of cognitive impairment prevalence was1.4with95%confidence interval0.9-3.93when plasma homocysteine was>14.5μmol/L as reference.3) There was a joint effect between homocysteine and cognition on risk of mortality.4) There was a joint effect between homocysteine and diabetes. When plasma homocysteine was<15μmol/L, the risk of mortality was1.37times higher than reference group in elderly with diabetes (Hazard ratio=1.37,95%confidence interval:1.03-1.81; when plasma homocysteine>15μmol/L, the risk of mortality was1.73times (hazard ration=1.73,95%confidence interval:1.18-2.46)5) Fish intake, plasma folate, vitamin B6had a significant negative association with plasma homocysteine. Dietary diversity, vitamin B2and vitamin B6intake, and plasma concentrations of vitamin B1and B2had a significant association with cognitive impairment.Conclusion:Plasma homocysteine was not risk factors of cognitive impairment and diabetes in NAHSIT, but plasma homocysteine had a joint effect to mortality with cognitive impairment and diabetes respectively. Dietary diversity and vitamin B group decreased the concentration of plasma homocysteine, decreased the risk of cognitive impairment and the risk of mortality.