Dietary nutrition and neurological disorders: a review

According to statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO), neurological disorders now constitute a major global public health issue and have become the leading cause of disability. In 2021, over 3 billion people globally were affected by neurological disorders. Since 1990, the total number of disabilities, illnesses, and premature deaths caused by neurological disorders, measured as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), has increased by 18%. Numerous studies have demonstrated that dietary nutrition plays a critical role in maintaining central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis, with specific dietary components significantly influencing the pathogenesis and progression of neurological disorders, especially in the setting of neurodegenerative diseases linked to the aging process, like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the case of AD, a diet replete with polyphenolic antioxidants has been demonstrated to mitigate the aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques. Furthermore, current advances reveal that bioactive compounds, including micronutrients (e.g., vitamin B complex, vitamin D), ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and psychobiotics, exert multifaceted neuroprotective effects through attenuation of oxidative damage, suppression of neuroinflammatory cascades, and prevention of neuronal dysfunction. Regarding PD, sufficient consumption of ω-3 PUFAs may foster the maintenance of dopaminergic neuron function. This review systematically summarizes the impact of different dietary patterns on CNS disorders and explores how nutritional modulators influence the molecular mechanisms underlying aging-related neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric conditions. Mechanistic investigations have elucidated that dietary nutrition modulates neuronal function through three primary pathways including activation of endogenous antioxidant systems, regulation of synaptic plasticity-associated protein expression, and mediation of gut-brain axis bidirectional communication via microbial metabolites. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for implementing dietary interventions in practice, particularly for preventing and managing neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging, highlighting their potential as a significant adjunctive therapeutic strategy. This review systematically examines the mechanistic basis of dietary regulation in neurological function and elucidates its multifaceted neuroprotective effects in attenuating age-related neurological decline.