Relationship between obesity-related anthropometric indicators and cognitive function in Chinese suburb-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Background Studies relating obesity to cognition in older people show conflicting results, which may be explained by the choice of obesity indicators. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the relationship between obesity-related indicators and cognitive impairment, especially between different age or gender subgroups, and explore whether obesity-related indicators were related to specific cognitive domains. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 1753 participants aged ≥ 60 years (41.0% men; aged 71.36 ± 5.96 years). Obesity-related indicators included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), calf circumference (CC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), waist to calf circumstance ratio (WCR), fat to fat-free mass ratio (FM/FFM). The Mini-Mental State Examination scale (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score ≤ 17 for illiterates, ≤ 20 for participants with primary school education, and ≤ 24 for those with junior high school degrees or above. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Restricted cubic splines were used to analyze and visualize the linear relationships. Results The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 18.77%. In the fully adjusted model, CC was negatively associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90−0.98). Further analysis showed that CC correlated positively with recall and place orientation. A higher FM/FFM was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment (OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 0.88–2.35, P for trend = 0.029); this association was notable in women (P for trend = 0.002) and the oldest (P for trend = 0.009), and so did the potential effect of BMI on cognitive impairment (70–80 years: P for trend = 0.011; ≥ 80 years: P for trend = 0.013). No statistically significant association was found between cognitive impairment and WC, WHR, or WCR. Conclusion CC and FM/FFM were associated with cognitive impairment in older people. Future research needs to distinguish the effects of fat and muscle mass on cognitive function, with special attention to different ages and genders.

Gender-specific prevalence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment among older adults in Chongming, Shanghai, China

“…The authors’ previous studies have shown that both sarcopenia ( Chen et al, 2021 ) and obesity ( Ma et al, 2021 ) are associated with cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study explores the gender differences in the prevalence of MCI and the correlation between multiple influencing factors.…”

Cross-sectional study on prevalence and risk factors for falls among the elderly in communities of Guangdong province, China

“…Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of ≤17 for illiterates, ≤20 for participants with primary school education and ≤24 for those with junior high school degrees or above. 12 Balance ability was determined by the result of the chair rising test (CRT), the timed up and go test (TUG) and the tandem gait test (TGT). Poor balance ability was defined as CRT >10 s or TUG >12 s or TGT <8 steps.…”

Executive Functions in Overweight and Obese Treatment-Seeking Patients: Cross-Sectional Data and Longitudinal Perspectives

“…Obesity is a chronic illness that can lead to an increased risk of lower quality of life and premature death [ 1 ]. Body fat, besides representing a major risk factor for different chronic diseases such as type II diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, osteoarthritis, kidney disease, dyslipidemias, obstructive sleep apnea and cancer [ 2 , 3 ], may also represent a significant predictor of impaired cognitive performance, accelerated cognitive decline, and dementia [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In this vein, many studies have explored the possible link binding executive functions to body weight.…”