Cortical β-Amyloid in Older Adults Is Associated with Multidomain Interventions with and without Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation

Abstract

Multidomain lifestyle interventions (including combinations of physical exercise, cognitive training and nutritional guidance) are attracting increasing research attention for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here we examined for the first time the cross-sectional relationship between cortical β-amyloid (Aβ) and multidomain lifestyle interventions (nutritional and exercise counselling and cognitive training), omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation or their combination in 269 participants of the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT). In adjusted multiple linear regression models, compared to the control group (receiving placebo alone), cortical Aβ, measured once during follow-up (mean 512.7 ± 249.6 days post-baseline), was significantly lower in the groups receiving multidomain lifestyle intervention + placebo (mean difference, −0.088, 95 % CI, −0.148,−0.029, p = 0.004) or multidomain lifestyle intervention + n-3 PUFA (−0.100, 95 % CI, −0.160,−0.041, p = 0.001), but there was no difference in the n-3 PUFA supplementation alone group (−0.011, 95 % CI, −0.072,0.051, p = 0.729). Secondary analysis provided mixed results. Our findings suggest that multidomain interventions both with and without n-3 PUFA supplementation might be associated with lower cerebral Aβ. Future trials should investigate if such multidomain lifestyle interventions are causally associated with a reduction or the prevention of the accumulation of cerebral Aβ.