Investigation of food preference in Alzheimer patients; Assessment of glycemic index and glycemic load of their diet

Abstract

In this study, our objective was to investigate the food preferences of patients with Alzheimer’s-type dementia and healthy individuals of the same age and to compare the glycemic index and glycemic load of the preferred foods. This study was conducted with 55 patients, who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-type dementia by a neurologist, and 57 healthy individuals at the same age interval as the control group. The cognitive functions of the participants were assessed with the Standardized Mini-Mental State Exam (SMMSE). The food consumption preferences were determined following the obtainment of the three-day food consumption records and then the glycemic index and glycemic load of the diets was calculated. The carbohydrate amount consumed by Alzheimer's patients, the energy content of the diet, and the glycemic load were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to the control group. The comparison of Alzheimer's patients, who were divided into two groups, mild dementia (SMMSE=18-23) and severe dementia (SMMSE≤17) according to the SMMSE scores, showed that patients with severe dementia consumed significantly more carbohydrates and the energy content of their diet was higher (p<0.05). We determined that Alzheimer's patients consumed more carbohydrates and sugar compared to the control group. The daily carbohydrate intake increased as the severity of the disease increased, however, the quality of the consumed carbohydrate remained the same.

Keywords

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Carbohydrate Consumption
• Glycemic Load
• Glycemic Index

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