The effect of nutritional habits, sleep quality and anthropometric measurements on cognitive functions in individuals age 50 and over

Nutrition and sleep are two important elements in the lives of individuals. This study was conducted to examine the effects of eating habits, sleep quality and anthropometric measurements of individuals aged 50 and over on cognitive functions. The study was conducted with the participation of 96 individuals (M: 27.1%, F: 72.9%) aged 50 and over who were referred to the Nutrition and Diet Polyclinic by Bolu İzzet Baysal State Hospital Neurology Department between February and May 2022. In this study, data were collected with the help of a questionnaire using face-to-face interview technique. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questions were asked to determine the malnutrition status of the individuals, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PUKI) to determine their sleep quality, and the Mini Mental Assessment (MMD) questions to evaluate their mental health. According to the MNA evaluation, the proportion of individuals who do not have nutritional problems, have malnutrition risk, and have malnutrition are respectively; 81.3%, 14.5% and 4.2%. 79.2% of the participants have poor sleep quality. PSQI scores were lower in male participants than in females (p<0.05). Total daily energy intake is higher in individuals with poor sleep quality than in individuals with good sleep quality (p<0.05). According to MMD, the rate of individuals without dementia was 53.1%, and the rate of those with moderate and mild dementia was 17.7% and 29.2%, respectively. MMD score was higher in males and individuals with good sleep quality (p<0.05). All individuals with poor sleep quality have moderate dementia (p<0.05). It was found that the dementia incidence score decreased with the increase in lean body mass.According to the results of this research; Sleep quality deteriorates with age, and deteriorated sleep quality negatively affects nutritional status and body composition. The increase in body fat ratio worsens sleep quality and also causes an increase in the risk of dementia. Healthy nutrition in the elderly population is essential for a healthy body. This affects both sleep quality and cognitive functions. As a result, it was determined that sleep quality and dementia affected nutritional status.