A study examined the impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation on cognitive decline in older adults over ten years. Using data from SNAP-eligible participants in the Health and Retirement Study, researchers analyzed biennial data from 2010 to 2020. They employed linear mixed regression models to assess the link between SNAP involvement and cognitive decline among various groups.

The findings revealed that SNAP participation was associated with a slower decline in overall cognition, memory, and executive function. Specifically, the study reported a significant reduction in global cognition decline (β = 0.10), memory decline (β = 0.07), and executive function decline (β = 0.03), all statistically significant. However, the benefits of SNAP were not uniform; a notable interaction among SNAP participation, race/ethnicity, and time indicated that Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic SNAP users experienced a slightly quicker decline in global cognition.

Overall, the study suggests that SNAP may help mitigate age-related cognitive decline, but the effects vary among different demographic groups. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these findings and to enhance SNAP’s benefits for cognitive health.