The Use of Neuroimaging to Assess Associations Among Diet, Nutrients, Metabolic Syndrome, and Alzheimer's Disease

In the last decade, specific dietary patterns, mainly characterized by high consumption of vegetables and fruits, have been proven beneficial for the prevention of both metabolic syndrome (MetS)-related dysfunctions and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nowadays, neuroimaging readouts can be used to diagnose AD, investigate MetS effects on brain functionality and anatomy, and assess the effects of dietary supplementations and nutritional patterns in relation to neurodegeneration and AD-related features. Here we review scientific literature describing the use of the most recent neuroimaging techniques to detect AD- and MetS-related brain features, and also to investigate associations between consolidated dietary patterns or nutritional interventions and AD, specifically focusing on observational and intervention studies in humans.