Diet and Sleep Quality in Hispanic/Latino Midlife Adults At-Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Objectives: A healthy diet can promote good sleep quality, which may regulate the activity of the glymphatic system, reducing cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. This study examines the association of diet quality with sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) in midlife Hispanic/Latino adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Data from a longitudinal cohort study, the Tri-Sleep Study, was examined. This study consented and enrolled Hispanic/Latino adults 40-60 years old at risk for Alzheimer's disease (n=44). Questionnaires on demographics were completed. Dietary intake was assessed by three (2 weekdays, 1 weekend) self-administered 24-hour recalls using the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool. The diet quality for each participant was calculated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. Sleep was assessed using the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT. The ActiGraph was worn for 7 days yielding data on average sleep duration in minutes, efficacy (total time slept/total time spent in bed), and minutes of WASO. Results: The mean age for the sample was 53.17 yrs. (SD=5.2), 90% were females, 100% were Hispanic/Latino, and 86.4% were White. The mean score for diet quality was 57.35 (SD=12.3). Diet quality was correlated with average WASO (r=-0.421, p=0.004). However, diet quality was not significantly correlated with average sleep efficiency (r=0.281, p=0.064) or average sleep duration (r=-0.260, p=0.089). In a linear regression model, diet quality was negatively associated with WASO (β=-0.304, SE=0.106, p=0.007) while adjusting for age, sex, and race. Adjusted linear regression models including diet quality, sleep duration, and efficacy did not demonstrate a significant relationship between the variables. Conclusions: Higher dietary quality was significantly associated with reduced sleep fragmentation (WASO). These findings suggest that a healthy diet may improve the quality of sleep by reducing fragmentation. Future longitudinal research that includes larger sample sizes in Hispanic/Latino populations is needed to confirm the relationships between nutrition and sleep health, which are modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Funding Sources: NIH/NIMHD.