ABSTRACT

Summary .................................................................................................................. 12 2.1 Worldwide Population Ageing and Its Implications for Health Care ............. 12 2.2 Cognition, Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Impairment ............................... 14 2.3 Mental Health Promotion: Modiable Factors with a Focus on Nutrition ..... 15 2.4 Dietary Assessment Methods ......................................................................... 16 2.5 DPs: Denition, Importance and A Priori and A Posteriori Indices .............. 18

2.5.1 A Priori DPs........................................................................................ 19 2.5.2 Mediterranean Diet .............................................................................20 2.5.3 Other A Priori Indices ........................................................................ 21 2.5.4 A Posteriori DPs ................................................................................. 21 2.5.5 DPs and Health ...................................................................................22 2.5.6 DP Covariates .....................................................................................23