Alcoholic and sweetened beverage intake in relation to regional cortical thickness

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Abstract Submission 

Yian Gu¹, Reshma Babukutty¹, Caleb Haynes¹, Yunglin Gazes¹, Yaakov Stern¹, Christian Habeck²

¹Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NEW YORK, NY, ²Columbia University, New York, NY

Yian Gu  
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
NEW YORK, NY

Reshma Babukutty  
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
NEW YORK, NY

Caleb Haynes  
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
NEW YORK, NY

Yunglin Gazes  
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
NEW YORK, NY

Yaakov Stern  
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
NEW YORK, NY

Christian Habeck  
Columbia University
New York, NY

Common drinks such as alcohol and sweetened beverages have been linked with multiple health outcomes including dementia in older adults. There is scarce data examining whether beverage intake is associated with regional cortical thickness (Thx), and little is known about these associations in young and middle-aged adults.

Using data from a community-based study of healthy adults, we examined the association between beverage intake and regional Thx, as well as the role of Thx in mediating the beverage–cognition association. We also examined the associations separately for young (20-44 yrs), middle-aged (45-59 yrs), and older (60+ yrs) adults. Beverage intake (drinks/day) information was self-reported from the Willet semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) on average intake of artificially-sweetened beverage (ASB) [diet soda], sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) [orange/grapefruit juice, soda, and lemonade/fruit punch], and alcoholic drinks [beer, wine, and liquor] over the past year. Healthy Mediterranean diet score and total caloric intake were calculated from the entire FFQ. The global cognitive score was the average of the z-scores in memory, fluid reasoning, processing speed, and vocabulary domains. All brain images were acquired on Philips Achieva 3T MRI. Thx was evaluated in 68 regions of interest (ROIs) using Freesurfer v5.12. Linear regression models were used, adjusted for age, sex, education, total caloric intake, and Mediterranean diet score.

The study included 436 individuals, with average age of 45.5 (SD=16) years, 16 (SD=2.4) years of education, and 55.5% females. Total alcohol intake was negatively associated with Thx in 9 ROIs. This was mainly due to liquor intake (11 ROIs) rather than wine (1 ROI) or beer (0 ROI) intake. In older adults there was a negative association between wine and 3 ROIs and between liquor and 4 ROIs, in middle-aged adults a positive association of wine with 2 ROIs, and in young adults a negative association between beer and 3 ROIs. We found that in the overall study population ASB was positively associated with Thx in the right posterior cingulate region, and fruit punch intake was associated with thickness in the left rostral middle-frontal gyrus. However, residual confounding by age may lead to these overall positive associations. Indeed, ASB and SSBs were consistently associated with lower Thx within each age group. In older adults, diet soda (rh-cuneus) and soda (lh-frontal pole) were each negatively associated with cortical thickness in 1 ROI, in middle-aged adults, diet soda with 1 ROI (rh-fusiform); and in young adults, orange juice with 8 ROIs. Alcohol drinks tended to be positively associated, while all ASB and SSBs tended to be negatively associated with the global cognitive score, although the results were significant only for total alcohol and orange juice. Thx in 2 ROIs mediated the association between soda and cognition in the overall population and in older adults. In young adults, Thx in 5 ROIs mediated the association between orange juice intake and cognition. Thx did not mediate the relationship between alcohol drink and cognition.

Sweetened beverage intake was associated with lower cortical thickness and cognition in young, middle-aged, and older adults. Liquor intake was negatively associated with cortical thickness. Regions such as supramarginal, inferior parietal and superior parietal may particularly be vulnerable.

Neurodegenerative/ Late Life (eg. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s)

Aging

Lifespan Development Other ²

Cortical Anatomy and Brain Mapping ¹

ADULTS

Cognition

Cortex

MRI

STRUCTURAL MRI