Bread Type Consumption and Cognition in Older Adults, a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Blas Study Publisher

Summary: Could bread choice relate to cognition? A study of 1,326 older adults linked wholemeal bread to better cognition, white bread to poorer scores. #CognitiveHealth #Nutrition

Ejtahed H S ; Fakhrzadeh H ; Moodi M ; Khodabakhshi H ; Khorashadizadeh M ; Sharifi F
Source: Nutrire Published:2026

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to assess if an association existed between the consumption of refined vs. wholemeal bread with cognition, in a sample of older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,326 older adults (mean age: 69.73 years; 52% female) participating in the Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (BLAS). Dietary intake of different bread types was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Six-Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6-CIT), Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT). Multivariable regression analyses were conducted with adjustments for age, sex, physical activity, marital status, education, employment status, depression, malnutrition, and total daily energy intake. Results: 64% of the studied sample were cognitively impaired, and were older, less physically active, and less educated, with higher prevalence of malnutrition and depression. Wholemeal and white bread consumption showed opposite associations with cognitive function. Higher wholemeal bread consumption was generally associated with better cognitive performance across multiple cognitive tests (OR ˂1; P ≤ 0.05), although some associations were attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographic and dietary confounders. In contrast, white bread intake was associated with poorer performance in AMT test (OR = 1.53 (1.11, 2.09); P = 0.01), attention (OR = 1.39 (1.00, 1.94); P = 0.05) and temporal orientation domains of 6-CIT test (OR = 1.65 (1.19, 2.28); P ˂ 0.01), which persisted after adding confounders to the models. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the type of bread consumed may be differentially associated with cognitive function in older adults, highlighting the potential importance of dietary strategies to support cognitive health in ageing populations. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.