Overview

• Researchers analyzed Health and Retirement Study data from 2,347 SNAP-eligible adults aged 50 and older over the 2010–2020 period.
• SNAP participants experienced a 0.1 percent slower annual decline in global cognition, memory and executive function compared to eligible nonparticipants.
• The slower rate of decline translates into preserving roughly two to three additional years of cognitive function over a decade.
• Racial and ethnic differences emerged, with non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic participants gaining less cognitive protection than non-Hispanic white participants.
• The study’s observational design cannot prove causation and has not yet been peer-reviewed, leaving questions about underlying mechanisms and baseline health differences.