Dietary Lipid Intervention in the Prevention of Brain Aging
Wei Xiong,
Bing Fang,
Xiaoyu Wang,
Ming Zhang,
Min Du,
Jiazeng Sun,
Juan Chen,
Yixuan Li,
Changhao Sun,
Xingen Lei,
Xue Zhang,
Fazheng Ren
Affiliations
Wei Xiong
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Bing Fang
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Xiaoyu Wang
Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-Constructed by the Ministry of Education and Beijing Municipality, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Ming Zhang
School of Food Science and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Min Du
Department of Animal Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Jiazeng Sun
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Juan Chen
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Yixuan Li
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Changhao Sun
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150028, China
Xingen Lei
Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Xue Zhang
National Health Commission (NHC) and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Theranostics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150028, China
Fazheng Ren
Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; Corresponding author.
As people live longer, the burden of aging-related brain diseases, especially dementia, is increasing. Brain aging increases the risk of cognitive impairment, which manifests as a progressive loss of neuron function caused by the impairment of synaptic plasticity via disrupting lipid homeostasis. Therefore, supplemental dietary lipids have the potential to prevent brain aging. This review summarizes the important roles of dietary lipids in brain function from both structure and mechanism perspectives. Epidemiological and animal studies have provided evidence of the functions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in brain health. The results of interventions indicate that phospholipids—including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and plasmalogen—are efficient in alleviating cognitive impairment during aging, with plasmalogen exhibiting higher efficacy than phosphatidylserine. Plasmalogen is a recognized nutrient used in clinical trials due to its special vinyl ether bonds and abundance in the postsynaptic membrane of neurons. Future research should determine the dose-dependent effects of plasmalogen in alleviating brain-aging diseases and should develop extraction and storage procedures for its clinical application.
