-Marina Muñoz Cervera-
This article published on 21 August 2012 in the journal Neurology brings us new knowledge about obesity and the cognitive function: Obesity phenotypes in midlife and cognition in early old age
The Whitehall II cohort study
The objetive was to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) and metabolic status with cognitive function and decline.
Methods: A total of 6,401 adults (71.2% men), aged 39–63 years in 1991–1993, provided data on BMI (normal weight 18.5–24.9 kg/m2, overweight 25–29.9 kg/m2; and obese ≥30 kg/m2) and metabolic status (abnormality defined as 2 or more of 1) triglycerides ≥1.69 mmol/L or lipid-lowering drugs, 2) systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure ≥85 mm Hg, or antihypertensive drugs, 3) glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L or medications for diabetes, and 4) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.04 mmol/L for men and <1.29 mmol/L for women). Four cognitive tests (memory, reasoning, semantic, and phonemic fluency) were administered in 1997–1999, 2002–2004, and 2007–2009, standardized to z scores, and averaged to yield a global score.
They obtained the following results:
Of the participants, 31.0% had metabolic abnormalities, 52.7% were normal weight, 38.2% were overweight, and 9.1% were obese. Among the obese, the global cognitive score at baseline (p = 0.82) and decline (p = 0.19) over 10 years was similar in the metabolically normal and abnormal groups. In the metabolically normal group, the 10-year decline in the global cognitive score was similar (p for trend = 0.36) in the normal weight (−0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.42 to −0.38), overweight (−0.42; 95% CI −0.45 to −0.39), and obese (−0.42; 95% CI −0.50 to −0.34) groups. However, in the metabolically abnormal group, the decline on the global score was faster among obese (−0.49; 95% CI −0.55 to −0.42) than among normal weight individuals (−0.42; 95% CI −0.50 to −0.34), (p = 0.03).
Conclusions: «In these analyses the fastest cognitive decline was observed in those with both obesity and metabolic abnormality».
Link related:Obesity and metabolic syndrome
Source:
Archana Singh-Manoux, PhD, Sébastien Czernichow, MD, PhD, Alexis Elbaz, MD, PhD, Aline Dugravot, MSc, Séverine Sabia, PhD, Gareth Hagger-Johnson, PhD, Sara Kaffashian, MSc, Marie Zins, MD, PhD, Eric J. Brunner, PhD, Hermann Nabi, PhD and Mika Kivimäki, PhD
Neurology August 21, 2012 vol. 79 no. 8 755-762
http://www.neurology.org/content/79/8/755
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