Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38388110›Full record

ArticleThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2024

Effect of dairy consumption on cognition in older adults: A population-based cohort study.

Natalia Ortega, Cristian Carmeli, Orestis Efthimiou, Jürg-Hans Beer, Armin von Gunten, Martin Preisig, Leonardo Zullo, Julien Vaucher, Peter Vollenweider, Pedro Marques-Vidal and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. The effects ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Natalia OrtegaInstitute for Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: natalia.ortega@unibe.ch.
Cristian CarmeliPopulation Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Orestis EfthimiouInstitute for Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Jürg-Hans BeerUniversity of Zurich and Kantonsspital Baden, Baden, Switzerland.
Armin von GuntenService of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Prilly, Switzerland.
Martin PreisigDepartment of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Leonardo ZulloService of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Prilly, Switzerland.
Julien VaucherDepartment of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Medicine and Specialties, Internal Medicine, Fribourg Hospital and University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Peter VollenweiderDepartment of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Pedro Marques-VidalDepartment of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Nicolas RodondiInstitute for Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Arnaud ChioleroPopulation Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Patricia O Chocano-BedoyaInstitute for Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe aimed to assess the effect on cognitive function of adding dairy (total, fermented, non-fermented, full fat, low fat, and sugary) to the diet and of substituting some food groups for dairy.

designSecondary analysis of a prospective population-based cohort study.

participantsWe analyzed data from 1334 cognitively healthy participants (median age 67 years at baseline) with a mean follow-up of 5.6 years from the CoLaus|PsyColaus cohort in Lausanne, Switzerland. MEASUREMENTS: The participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and cognitive tests at baseline and at follow-up. Clinical dementia rating was the primary outcome. Subjective cognitive decline, memory, verbal fluency, executive and motor functions were secondary outcomes.

methodsOur exposure was the consumption of total and 5 sub-types of dairy products (g/d). We used marginal structural models to compute average causal effects of 1) increasing dairy consumption by 100 g/d and 2) substituting 100 g/d of meat, fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables with dairy on the outcomes. We used inverse probability of the treatment and lost to follow-up weighting to account for measured confounding and non-random loss to follow-up.

resultsOverall, the effects of adding dairy products to the diet on cognition were negligible and imprecise. No substitution had a substantial and consistent effect on clinical dementia rating. The substitution of fish [11.7% (-3% to 26.5%)] and eggs [18% (2.3%-33.7%)] for dairy products could negatively impact verbal memory and neurolinguistic processes.

conclusionWe found no effect of adding dairy to the diet or substituting meat, vegetables or fruit for dairy on cognitive function in this cohort of older adults. The substitution of fish and eggs for dairy could have a negative effect on some secondary outcomes, but more studies modeling food substitutions are needed to confirm these results.

Indexed as

Dairy ProductsDietAgedAnimalsCognitionCohort StudiesHumansProspective StudiesVegetablesAgingCognitive functionCohort studyDairy productsDiet

Identifiers

PMID38388110
PMCPMC12877266

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.