The association between dietary intake of fats and transient global amnesia (TGA)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Different types of dietary fat may influence memory and cognitive functions. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary fat intake and transient global amnesia (TGA). METHODS: This case-control study was conducted using Persian Sabzevar cohort data on 258 individuals with TGA and 520 individuals without amnesia in Sabzevar Iran. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the intake of dietary fats of the participants. All study participants were screened for TGA by a neurologist and their status was determined based on the diagnostic symptoms defined by the Kaplan and Hodges criteria. RESULTS: There was an inverse association between the risk of TGA and dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (OR = 0.94, CI95:0.88-0.99, P = 0.01). Also, a positive association was observed between TGA and dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids (OR = 1.18, CI 95: 1.04-1.33, P = 0.01). The results remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, education, job, marital status, physical activity, BMI, and calorie intake. CONCLUSION: Omega-3 fatty acids may have beneficial effects; however, omega-6 fatty acids may have adverse effects on the risk of amnesia. Further longitudinal studies are warranted.