Association of low meal frequency with decreased in vivo Alzheimer’s pathology
Jee Wook Kim,
Min Soo Byun,
Dahyun Yi,
Jun Ho Lee,
Kiyoung Sung,
Dongkyun Han,
Gihwan Byeon,
Min Jung Kim,
Joon Hyung Jung,
Yoon Young Chang,
Gijung Jung,
Jun-Young Lee,
Yun-Sang Lee,
Yu Kyeong Kim,
Koung Mi Kang,
Chul-Ho Sohn,
Dong Young Lee
Affiliations
Jee Wook Kim
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, 7 Keunjaebong-gil, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi 18450, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon 24252, Republic of Korea
Min Soo Byun
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Dahyun Yi
Medical Research Center Seoul National University, Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Jun Ho Lee
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Kiyoung Sung
Department of Psychiatry, Eulji University Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Seoul 01830, Republic of Korea
Dongkyun Han
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Gihwan Byeon
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chuncheon 24289, Republic of Korea
Min Jung Kim
Department of Psychiatry, Eulji University Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Seoul 01830, Republic of Korea
Joon Hyung Jung
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Yoon Young Chang
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Gijung Jung
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Jun-Young Lee
Department of Neuropsychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul 07061, Republic of Korea
Yun-Sang Lee
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Yu Kyeong Kim
Department of Nuclear Medicine, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul 07061, Republic of Korea
Koung Mi Kang
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Chul-Ho Sohn
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
Dong Young Lee
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Medical Research Center Seoul National University, Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author
Summary: Little is known about the association between meal frequency and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in humans. We tested the hypothesis that low meal frequency (LMF) is associated with reduced in vivo AD pathology in human brain, and additionally investigated the mediation of serum ghrelin, a hunger-related hormone, for the association. A total of 411 non-demented older adults were systematically interviewed to identify their dietary patterns including meal frequency and underwent multi-modal neuroimaging for cerebral beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau deposition, glucose metabolism, and cerebrovascular injury. LMF (less than three meals a day) was significantly associated with lower Aβ deposition compared to high meal frequency (HMF). In addition, both LMF and reduced Aβ deposition were significantly related to elevated serum ghrelin. Our findings suggest that LMF may be related to the lower risk of AD through reduced brain amyloid deposition. Additionally, ghrelin appears mediate the association between LMF and lower amyloid deposition.
