The relationship between cognitive function and dietary patterns in Korean elderly women was investigated in this study. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall and cognitive function tests were performed in 170 elderly women aged over 60 years. Average age of the subjects was 71 years and the average number of family members was 3.3. Most of the subjects had less than seven years of education and their monthly income was much lower than the Korean average. Most of the subjects engaged in regular exercise and did not indulge in drinking and smoking. The average cognitive function score of the subjects was 58.4. Most of the subjects appeared to consume insufficient amount of food ; average intakes of energy, Ca, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin were lower than RDA for the elderly. Cognitive function score was positively related to education level and regularity of exercise. Also, cognitive function score had a strong relationship with food intake such as total amounts of foods, fish and shellfish, milk and dairy products, total animal food, fruit, bread and sugar. Energy, protein, Ca, p, riboflavin, and niacin were also shown to have positive relationships to cognitive function score, while carbohydrate caloric ratio had a negative relationship with cognitive function. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, factors that most influenced on cognitive function were education level and riboflavin intake. The subjects who had more than seven years of education had significantly higher cognitive function scores than those with no school education. And cognitive function scores f3r those who consumed more than 2/3 of the RDA for most nutrients were significantly higher than the ones fir the subjects who consumed less than 2/3 of the RDA. These results suggest that proper education and adequate nutrient intake in quantity and quality by achieving food diversity are essential in maintaining cognitive function in later life (Korean J Nutrition 31(9) : 1457-1467, 1998)