Leisure activity associated with cognitive ability level, but not cognitive change

Although activity participation is promoted as cognitively-protective, critical questions of causality remain. In a cohort followed every five years from age 75 to 85 years, potential reciprocal associations between level and change in leisure activity participation and level and change in cognitive abilities were examined. Participants in the Glostrup 1914 Cohort, a longitudinal study of ageing, completed standardised cognitive ability tests and reported their leisure activity participation (11 activities defined a leisure activity score) at ages 75, 80 and 85. Higher leisure activity was associated with higher cognitive ability (significant correlations ranged from .15 to .31, p < .05). Between ages 75 and 85, participation in leisure activities and cognitive ability declined significantly. Growth curve models, which provided latent variables for level of and 10-year change in both leisure activity and cognitive ability, confirmed the positive association between levels of leisure activity and cognitive ability (path coefficient = .36, p < .001); however, leisure activity level or change was not associated with cognitive change. Although a positive association between leisure activity and cognitive ability was reported—the likely precedents of this are discussed—there was no evidence that a higher level or maintenance of leisure activity was protective against cognitive decline across a 10-year follow-up

Intake of Dairy Products in Relation to Periodontitis in Older Danish Adults

This cross-sectional study investigates whether calcium intakes from dairy and non-dairy sources, and absolute intakes of various dairy products, are associated with periodontitis. The calcium intake (mg/day) of 135 older Danish adults was estimated by a diet history interview and divided into dairy and non-dairy calcium. Dairy food intake (g/day) was classified into four groups: milk, cheese, fermented foods and other foods. Periodontitis was defined as the number of teeth with attachment loss ≥3 mm. Intakes of total dairy calcium (Incidence-rate ratio (IRR) = 0.97; &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; = 0.021), calcium from milk (IRR = 0.97; &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; = 0.025) and fermented foods (IRR = 0.96; &lt;em&gt;p &lt;/em&gt;= 0.03) were inversely and significantly associated with periodontitis after adjustment for age, gender, education, sucrose intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, vitamin D intake, heart disease, visits to the dentist, use of dental floss and bleeding on probing, but non-dairy calcium, calcium from cheese and other types of dairy food intakes were not. Total dairy foods (IRR = 0.96; &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; = 0.003), milk (IRR = 0.96; &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; = 0.028) and fermented foods intakes (IRR = 0.97; &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; = 0.029) were associated with reduced risk of periodontitis, but cheese and other dairy foods intakes were not. These results suggest that dairy calcium, particularly from milk and fermented products, may protect against periodontitis. Prospective studies are required to confirm these findings

Self-reported fatigue and physical function in late mid-life

Objective: To determine the association between the 5 sub-scales of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and physical function in late mid-life. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A population-based sample of adults who participated in the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank population cohort (n=4,964; age 49-63 years). Methods: Self-reported fatigue was measured using the MFI-20 comprising: general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue. Handgrip strength and chair rise tests were used as measures of physical function. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the associations between handgrip strength and the chair rise test with the MFI-20 subscales, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: After adjustments for potential confounders, handgrip strength was associated with physical fatigue (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66-0.86); p Conclusion: The present study supports the physiological basis of 4 subscales of the MFI-20. The association between fatigue and function was independent of gender

Severity of self-reported diseases and symptoms in Denmark

OBJECTIVE: To estimate and rank the relative severity of self-reported diseases and symptoms in Denmark. METHOD: The 1994 Danish Health and Morbidity Survey collected data from 5,472 Danes older than 16 years of age. Interviews (response frequency: 79%) gave information on diseases and symptoms; a self-administered SF-36 questionnaire (response frequency: 64%) provided information on health-related quality of life. The severity of diseases and symptoms was represented by the health-related quality of life scores that individuals suffering from particular diseases and symptoms obtained on the single dimensions of the SF-36 and on a combined sum of all dimensions. We applied logistic regression to control for the influence of sex, age and socio-economic status on the SF-36 score. We also analysed the interaction between socio-economic status and diseases on the SF-36 score. RESULTS: Females, more frequently than males, reported on all symptoms and all disease groups except injuries. People with relatively low levels of education reported most diseases, especially musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases, more frequently than people with higher education. Age-adjusted mean SF-36 scores for all dimensions combined showed that the symptoms of melancholy/depression and breathing difficulties, psychiatric disorders and respiratory diseases scored lowest (i.e. were most often associated with worse health). Females had lower SF-36 combined scores (worse health) than males on all symptoms. We found interaction between socio-economic status and respiratory diseases and musculoskeletal diseases on the SF-36 score. SF-36 scores also indicated significantly worse health among Danes with low education and income levels compared to those with higher education and income. CONCLUSION: In 1994 the Danes most frequently reported musculoskeletal symptoms and diseases. Psychiatric disorders and respiratory diseases were identified as the most severe reported diseases. Due to the interaction between socio-economic status and some diseases, severity estimates should be interpreted with caution or stratified by socio-economic groups

Intakes of calcium, vitamin D, and dairy servings and dental plaque in older Danish adults

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether intakes of calcium and dairy-servings within-recommendations were associated with plaque score when allowing for vitamin D intakes. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, including 606 older Danish adults, total dietary calcium intake (mg/day) was classified as below vs. within-recommendations and dairy intake as <3 vs. ≥3 servings/ d. Dental plaque, defined as the percentage of tooth surfaces exhibiting plaque, was classified as < median vs. ≥median value (9.5%). Analyses were stratified by lower and higher (≥6.8 μg/d) vitamin D intake. FINDINGS: Intakes of calcium (OR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.31-0.92) and dairy servings (OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.33-0.89) within-recommendations were significantly associated with lower plaque score after adjustments for age, gender, education, intakes of alcohol, sucrose and mineral supplements, smoking, diseases, number of teeth, visits to the dentist, use of dental floss/tooth pick and salivary flow, among those with higher, but not lower, vitamin D intake. CONCLUSION: Intakes of calcium dairy-servings within-recommendations were inversely associated with plaque, among those with higher, but not lower, vitamin D intakes. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, it is not possible to infer that this association is causal