Sex Differences in the Tendency of Dietary Habits in Patients with Alzheimer-type Dementia and their Caregiver.

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K09294
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Kameyama Yumi 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (60505882)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小島 太郎 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (40401111)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / コグニティブフレイル / 栄養 / 葉酸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigate food habit of not only a dementia patient but also caregiver who lives together and cooks. 69 aMCI and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (female: 40, male: 29) who went to our forgetfulness outpatient clinic, and their caregiver were investigated about the food habit using BDHQ.　Results: Our female patients took significantly few fish and our male and female patients took significantly much confections. Female patient took 52g/day of few fish (caregiver 51g/day), while male patient took 102g/day of fish (caregiver 95g/day). Female patient took 73g/day of confections (caregiver 76g/day), and male patient took 84g/day of confections (caregiver 60g/day). The tendency of our patient's food habit was a similar to a caregiving household regardless of the caregiver's sex. It is important to guide the caregiver who prepared a meal ready appropriately to prevents cognitive frail.

Free Research Field

認知症

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

認知症患者（特に女性患者）の魚・葉酸摂取不足が明らかになり、食事を準備する介護者にも同様の傾向がみられた。昼食を菓子パンで済ませるため菓子量が多くなるという問題点も浮き彫りとなった。介護者への栄養指導介入も対面で定期的に行う必要が感じられた。葉酸摂取不足が認知機能低下と関連しており、個別に栄養指導するだけでは解決しないのではないか。妊婦が葉酸をサプリメントで補充することで児の二分脊椎が減少しており、同様に高齢者に葉酸サプリメントの補充、または、食品に葉酸を添加することを推奨するなど本研究結果を生かした対応を期待したい。