ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1597724
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of nutrition on brain healthView all 11 articles
Dose-Dependent Interaction of Dietary Vitamin B2 and E in Relation to Cognitive Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study of Older Adults
Provisionally accepted
- Binhai County People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
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Background: While individual associations of dietary vitamins with cognitive function have been widely studied, the combined role of vitamin B2 and E remains poorly understood. This study investigates their interactive effects on cognitive performance in older adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of 2,497 participants (age ≥60 years) from NHANES 2011-2014, cognitive function was assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), with low performance defined as DSST scores <33 (lowest quartile). Dietary intake of vitamins B2 and E was derived from two 24-hour recalls. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical covariates examined independent and joint associations, with interaction effects quantified using product terms. Results: Following comprehensive adjustment, elevated dietary intake of vitamin B2 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–0.95) and vitamin E (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56–0.94) was independently associated with diminished odds of low cognitive function. A significant multiplicative interaction was observed (OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.05–1.26; P<0.05). Marginal effect analyses revealed synergistic benefits between vitamins B2 and E at vitamin E intakes <18 mg/day, whereas antagonistic interaction emerged beyond this threshold. Furthermore, stratified analyses identified the strongest protective effects in the high-B2 + low-E group (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.32–0.98) and the dual-high intake group (OR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.27–0.73) compared to the dual-low intake group. Conclusion: Our findings highlight a dose-dependent interplay between vitamins B2 and E in modulating cognitive performance, advocating for dietary guidelines to prioritize nutrient interaction patterns in aging populations.
Keywords: Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, Cognitive Function, Nutrient interaction, NHANES
Received: 21 Mar 2025; Accepted: 28 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Zhou, Cai, Du, Li and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chaonian Li, Binhai County People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
Minli Sun, Binhai County People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
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