Observational studyPublic health nutrition2021
Investigating walnut consumption and cognitive trajectories in a representative sample of older US adults.
Observational study in Public health nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Nut Consumption and Depression: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses in Two Cohorts of Older Adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2023Pooled it
- Walnut consumption and health outcomes with public health relevance-a systematic review of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials published from 2017 to present.Nutrition reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Walnut intake, cognitive outcomes and risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of medicine · 2021Pooled it
- The effects of nuts intake on cognitive and executive function in obese children: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Trial
- Brain Foods: A Narrative Review of Food Items and Their Impact on Cognition over the Life Course.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Nut consumption, gut microbiota, and cognitive function: findings from a prospective study in older adults at risk of cognitive decline.Age and ageing · 2025Article
- Nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia in adults: a community-based cohort study from the UK Biobank.GeroScience · 2025Article
- Neuroprotective effects of walnutIranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2024Review
- Higher versus lower nut consumption and changes in cognitive performance over two years in a population at risk of cognitive decline: a cohort study.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Article
- Pharmacotherapeutic potential of walnut (Juglans spp.) in age-related neurological disorders.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2023Review
- Impact of Nut Consumption on Cognition across the Lifespan.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Dietary Walnuts Preserve Aspects of Health Span and Alter the Hippocampal Lipidome in Aged High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Leveraging Observational Cohorts to Study Diet and Nutrition in Older Adults: Opportunities and Obstacles.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Review
- Health Benefits Related to Tree Nut Consumption and Their Bioactive Compounds.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveExisting research suggests walnut intake may be associated with better cognitive function in older adults, yet few studies utilise longitudinal data from observational studies of ageing populations. Our objective was to estimate the association between whole walnut intake and cognitive change in a representative sample of older Americans.
designSecondary analysis of the Health and Retirement Study and Health Care and Nutrition Study. Walnut consumption was defined as a categorical measure (none, low intake (0·01-0·08 1 oz. servings per day) and moderate intake (>0·08 1 oz. servings per day)) and cognitive function was measured using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Latent growth modelling estimated the association between walnut consumption and trajectories of cognitive status over a 4-year observational period. Sensitivity analyses assessing non-random dropout and Monte Carlo power analyses were conducted to contextualise results.
settingThe USA.
participantsA sample of 3632 US adults aged 65 years and older.
resultsThose reporting any walnut consumption had greater cognitive scores at baseline than those not consuming walnuts (low walnut consumption, b = 1·53, se = 0·21, P < 0·001; moderate walnut consumption, b = 2·22, se = 0·27, P < 0·001), but walnut consumption was not associated with cognitive change. Walnut consumption was positively associated with socioeconomic status and health behaviours as well as intake of nutrients identified to have neuroprotective benefits.
conclusionsWe identified an association between walnut consumption and cognitive function in older adults, although we did not find that walnut consumption was protective against age-related cognitive decline.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.