The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federally funded nutrition-assistance program in the United States. Research has shown that SNAP has reduced hunger and food insecurity in the general population.
An article published in The Journal of Nutrition revealed that older adults who have food insecurity are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, depression and physical limitations that limit their ability to live independently Is.
The researchers analyzed a representative sample of 4,578 older adults in the United States using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, 2012-2020. They reported their experiences with food insecurity and were classified as having sufficient food or insufficient food.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federally funded nutrition-assistance program in the United States. Research has shown that SNAP has reduced hunger and food insecurity in the general population.
There is little evidence available on how SNAP may affect brain aging in older adults. Muji Na, assistant professor of nutritional science at Penn State, led a team of researchers who examined the relationship between food insecurity, SNAP and cognitive decline. They found that food adequacy and participation in SNAP may help protect against accelerated cognitive decline in older adults.
SNAP status was defined as SNAP participants, SNAP-eligible non-participants, and SNAP-ineligible non-participants. The researchers found that food-insecure adults experienced cognitive decline more rapidly than their food-secure peers.
The researchers identified different trajectories of cognitive decline in their study using either the food deprivation condition or the SNAP condition. SNAP participants and SNAP-eligible nonparticipants had similar rates of cognitive decline, both of which were slower than the rate for SNAP-eligible nonparticipants.
The greater cognitive decline rate seen in the food-insecure group was equivalent to being 3.8 years old, while the greater cognitive decline rate seen in the SNAP-eligible non-participant group was equivalent to being 4.5 years old.
Elaborating further, Na said, "For an aging population, roughly four years of brain aging can be very important."
“These results really point to the importance of food security for people as they age and the value of SNAP can improve cognitive health. We need to make sure people have access to – And encourage them to use -- -- the SNAP program as they get older," he said.
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