The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between physical fitness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly Koreans. This was a cross-sectional study that involved 134 men and 299 women aged 65 to 88 years. Six senior fitness tests were used as independent variables: 30 s chair stand for lower body strength, arm curl for upper body strength, chair-sit-and-reach for lower body flexibility, back scratch for upper body flexibility, 8-ft up-and-go for agility/dynamic balance, and 2-min walk for aerobic endurance. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Potential covariates such as age, education levels, blood lipids, and insulin resistance (IR) markers were also assessed. Compared to individuals without MMSE-based MCI, individuals with MMSE-based MCI had poor physical fitness based on the senior fitness test (SFT). There were significant positive trends observed for education level (p=0.001) and MMSE score (p<0.001) across incremental levels of physical fitness in this study population. Individuals with moderate (OR=0.341, p=0.006) and high (OR=0.271, p=0.007) physical fitness based on a composite score of the SFT measures were less likely to have MMSE-based MCI than individuals with low physical fitness (referent, OR=1). The strength of the association between moderate (OR=0.377, p=0.038) or high (OR=0.282, p=0.050) physical fitness and MMSE-based MCI was somewhat attenuated but remained statistically significant even after adjustment for the measured compounding factors. We found that poor physical fitness was independently associated with MMSE-based MCI in elderly Koreans.

Background This study investigated the association between insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 1036 healthy children aged between 7 and 13 years was conducted. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated as an index of IR. Participants were classified according to the HOMA-IR quartiles. Results Incremental, linear trends were found in age (p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), body fat (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.001), resting blood pressures (BP) (p < 0.001), triglycerides (TG) (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (TC) (p < 0.001), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (p < 0.001), FBG (p < 0.001), and insulin (<0.001) according to incremental HOMA-IR categories (from the 1st to 4th quartile). Compared with children in the 1st HOMA-IR quartile, children in the 4th HOMA-IR quartile had significantly higher odd ratios (ORs) of abnormalities in systolic (p = 0.051) and diastolic BP (p = 0.005), FBG (p < 0.001), TG (p < 0.001), TC (p = 0.016), and HDL-C (p = 0.006) even after adjustments for age, gender, BMI, and body fat percentage. Children in the 3rd HOMA-IR quartile had significant abnormalities in FBG (p < 0.001), TG (p = 0.001), and HDL-C (p = 0.010) even after adjustments for the covariates. Conclusion The current findings suggest that IR is significantly associated with the clustering of MetS risk factors in children in Korea.

Background Decreased muscle strength and/or depression with aging are emerging as important public health concerns in both developed and developing countries. This study investigated the effects of low handgrip strength (HGS) and depression on the risk of all-cause mortality in Korean older adults. Methods Data from 13,901 Korean adults (57% women) who participated in the 2008 baseline survey and completed the 2011 follow-up assessments were used. Results In total, the current findings showed that individuals with depression only and individuals with low HGS plus depression had significantly higher risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.366, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.033–1.807, p = 0.029 and HR = 1.961, 95% CI = 1.409–2.736, p < 0.001, respectively) even after adjustments for all the measured covariates, compared with individuals with high HGS plus no depression (HR = 1). Gender-stratified analysis showed that men with depression only and men with depression plus low HGS had significantly higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.376, 95% CI =1.029–1.841, p = 0.031 and HR = 1.861, 95% CI = 1.306–2.651, p = 0.001, respectively) even after adjustments for all the measured covariates, compared with individuals with no depression plus high HGS (HR = 1). In women, however, the joint effect of depression and low HGS only remained significant at borderline (HR = 2.603, 95% CI = 0.981–6.908, p = 0.055) when adjusted for all the confounders. Conclusion The current finding suggested that depression and low HGS were significantly and synergistically associated with the increased risk of premature death from all causes in the Korean geriatric population.

Background: Little is known regarding the role of eating quickly, physical inactivity, and poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in assessing the onset of metabolic syndrome (Mets) in Korean young adults. Objectives: This study examined the association between the three risk factors and Mets in 1891 Korean university students (30% female) aged 18–29 years. Methods: Eating speed (slow vs. fast) and physical activity (active vs. inactive) were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Maximal oxygen uptake as an indicator of CRF was assessed with graded exercise testing. Components of Mets were waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC). Results: All the three exposures were positively associated with abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressures, elevated FBG, elevated TG, and decreased HDLC. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) of Mets was incremental in the order of physical inactivity (odds ratio, OR = 1.666; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.024–2.708; p = 0.040), fast eating (OR = 1.687; 95% CI = 1.094–2.601; p = 0.018), and poor CRF (OR = 5.378; 95% CI = 3.475–8.325; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The current findings suggest that a multifaceted intervention targeting at promotion of physical activity and CRF in concert with healthy eating behaviors should be implemented as a preventive strategy against Mets in Korean university students.

Cognitive decline with normal aging varies widely among individuals. This study aimed to investigate predictors of longitudinal changes in cognitive function in community-dwelling Korean adults aged 65 years and older. Data from 727 older adults who participated in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) survey from 2006 (baseline) until 2018 (seventh wave) were used. Cognitive performance was assessed with the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination. The participants were retrospectively classified into normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and moderate/severe cognitive impairment. Education, income, religion, living area, alcohol intake, smoking, physical activity, handgrip strength, functional dependency, depression, comorbidity, medications, fall experience, and unintentional weight loss were included as covariates. A linear mixed regression analysis showed that a steeper decline in cognitive function over time was significantly associated with parameters of poor socio-economic status, health conditions, and unhealthy behaviors. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment or moderate/severe cognitive impairment were likely to have steeper cognitive declines compared with individuals with normal cognition. The current findings of the study showed that age-related cognitive decline was multifactorial in older Korean adults.