Association Between Individual Components of Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Function in Northeast Rural China

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this article was to examine associations between metabolic syndrome and its individual components with cognitive function among rural elderly population in northeast China. Methods: Our study included 1047 residents aged older than 60 years in a northeast rural area. All were interviewed and data were obtained including sociodemographic and medical histories. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination. Metabolic syndrome was defined by NCEP-ATP III. Results: After adjusted for confounding factors, metabolic syndrome was inversely associated with cognitive function (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-3.01) especially in participants aged less than 70 years old (OR = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.27-5.26). In addition, participants with metabolic syndrome had worse language function, which is a part of cognitive function (OR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.39-5.00). Individual metabolic syndrome components, especially abdominal obesity and hyperglycemia, had significant association with cognitive function (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56-0.92 and OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.12-1.78, respectively). Conclusions: Abdominal obesity might be a protective factor for cognitive function. However, hyperglycemia might be a risk factor.

Association Between Components of Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Impairment among Middle-Aged and Elderly in Indonesia: A Nationwide Survey

“…Otherwise, central obesity was concluded to be a protective factor. This finding is similar to that of previous studies, particularly for participants who are obese (32)(33)(34). Many studies of neurodegeneration found that greater weight or BMI in dementia patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was associated with an increased volume of the medial cortex, which is associated with improved cognitive scores (35).…”

Evaluation of Adiposity and Cognitive Function in Adults

“…More recently, cross-sectional investigations using radiologic evaluations of VAT by computed tomography or MRI have had mixed results with respect to cognitive function, with some finding an inverse association between increased VAT and cognitive function 12 and others finding a protective effect of VAT on cognitive function. 13 We investigated the association between the amount and distribution of adipose tissue and cognitive function scores after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors and MRI-detected vascular brain injury among men and women free of clinical CVD.…”

Sex Differences in the Association Between Obesity and Cognitive Impairment in a Low-Income Elderly Population in Rural China: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…Furthermore, results of two Asian population-based studies are consistent with our findings. One population-based study suggested that abdominal obesity (i.e., WC ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women) might be a protective factor for cognitive function in the elderly (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.56-0.92) in the rural area of Shenyang, China (37). In addition, a prospective community-dwelling Korean study illustrated that WC had a Ushaped correlation with cognitive function in the elderly, and increased central obesity over time as assessed using WC and WHR was associated with better cognitive function in elderly men (18).…”