Abstract
Although both obesity and ageing are risk factors for cognitive impairment, there is no evidence in Chile on how obesity levels are associated with cognitive function. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between adiposity levels and cognitive impairment in older Chilean adults. This cross-sectional study includes 1384 participants, over 60 years of age, from the Chilean National Health Survey 2009-2010. Cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination. BMI and waist circumference (WC) were used as measures of adiposity. Compared with people with a normal BMI, the odds of cognitive impairment were higher in participants who were underweight (OR 4·44; 95% CI 2·43, 6·45; P < 0·0001), overweight (OR 1·86; 95% CI 1·06, 2·66; P = 0·031) and obese (OR 2·26; 95% CI 1·31, 3·21; P = 0·003). The associations were robust after adjustment for confounding variables. Similar results were observed for WC. Low and high levels of adiposity are associated with an increased likelihood of cognitive impairment in older adults in Chile.
Highlights
In recent decades there has been a demographic shift characterised by an increase in the proportion of the population over 60 years of age[1]
An increased prevalence of physical inactivity, a greater number of time spent sitting during the day, and worse self-reported health and well-being was observed in participants with cognitive impairment
A prospective cohort study has found that BMI and waist circumference (WC) were independent risk factors for dementia, where the presence of high BMI (>30·0 kg/m2) and higher WC were associated with a 3·6-fold risk, compared with those only with normal BMI and lower WC[18]
Summary
In recent decades there has been a demographic shift characterised by an increase in the proportion of the population over 60 years of age[1]. 2015 and 2050 this population will rise to more than two billion people[2] This shift has been observed in the Chilean population, where the prevalence of older adults is expected to increase from 19·9 % in 2017 to 21·6 % in 2050, reaching an average age of 80·5 years[3]. Previous studies have shown that underweight and obesity cause functional limitation[9] and disability[10] in the older adult. It has been associated with some geriatric syndromes, such as urinary incontinence, falls and cognitive impairment[11,12,13,14]. Cognitive impairment has been ranked as the sixth leading cause of death, and is responsible for 4 % of premature deaths in adults aged >60 years, in Chile[15]
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