Relationship Between Ginger Consumption and Dementia/Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cross‐Sectional Study in Shanghai

ABSTRACT Previous studies have found some cognitive benefits from ginger consumption, but there are little data on this among older Chinese. To explore the relationship between ginger consumption and dementia and explore the possible mechanism of ginger consumption on cognitive decline. A total of 410 elderly patients with dementia and 2426 non‐dementia individuals were analyzed using data from the Shanghai Brain Health Foundation. Each participant's cognitive diagnosis was made by an attending psychiatrist, and their overall cognitive function was assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to investigate their consumption of ginger. To explore the possible mechanisms of ginger prevention of dementia, 408 non‐dementia patients (331 ginger consumers and 77 non‐ginger consumers) completed head MRI and plasma Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers such as amyloid‐beta peptides (Aβ) 42, Aβ40, total tau (t‐tau), phosphorylated tau‐181 (p‐tau‐181), and neurofilament light chain (NfL). The incidence of dementia was found to be reduced by ginger consumption through multiple logistic regression analysis. Compared to non‐ginger consumers, ginger consumers had higher MoCA scores and lower plasma NfL and Aβ40 levels. Regression analysis and mediated models then showed that ginger consumption reduced plasma NfL concentrations, affecting overall MoCA scores. Ginger consumption may be a protective factor against dementia in elderly Chinese and may prevent cognitive decline by affecting plasma NfL concentration.