Adherence to Mediterranean Diet Mediates the Relationship Between Cognition, Sleep, and Daily Autonomy in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Objectives: Adherence to Mediterranean Diet seems to be involved in older adults' health. However, its specific role towards cognitive deficits, daily autonomy, and sleep quality still needs to be clarified. Therefore, this pilot study aimed at: 1) exploring the relationships between adherence to Mediterranean Diet, cognitive decline, daily autonomy, and sleep quality in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and 2) computing models to explore the interplay between these variables. Methods: After ethical approval, 12 older adults with MCI (Mini Mental State Examination ≥ 26 and < 28, M = 26.8, SD = 1.82) aged 65+ years (M = 75.7, SD = 7.39) were assessed with Medi-Lite questionnaire on adherence to Mediterranean Diet, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed with SPSS 27. Results: Adherence to Mediterranean Diet correlated with MMSE attention and calculation (ρ = 0.63, p < .05), MMSE orientation (ρ = 0.58, p < .05), MMSE general cognitive functioning (ρ = 0.67, p < .05), MoCA visuospatial/executive ability (ρ = 0.79, p < .01), MoCA delayed recall (ρ = 0.6, p < .05), FAB conflicting instructions (ρ = 0.61, p < .05), FAB go – no go (ρ = 0.67 p < .05), IADL (ρ = 0.79, p < .05), and PSQI sleep duration (ρ = 0.74, p < .01). PSQI sleep duration, moreover, correlated with FAB go – no go (ρ = 0.67, p < .05), while PSQI subjective quality of sleep correlated with ADL (ρ = -0.7, p < .05). Bootstrap mediation analysis, in conclusion, showed adherence to Mediterranean Diet as a complete mediator in the relationship between MMSE general cognitive functioning and IADL (ab = 0.5, 95% CI 0.13, 1.08, p < .05; c = 0.48, 95% CI -0.04, 1.25, p = .12; c + ab = 0.98, 95% CI 0.55, 1.86, p < .01), and in the relationship between PSQI sleep duration and IADL (ab = 1.71, 95% CI 0.64, 3.48, p < .05; c = -0.1, 95% CI -1.89, 1.54; p = .89; c + ab = 1.61, 95% CI 0.33, 3; p < .05). Conclusions: Adherence to Mediterranean Diet seems to play an important role in the relationships between cognition, sleep, and daily autonomy in MCI. Future works should be conducted on larger samples to design specific intervention strategies for healthy aging. Funding Sources: None.