AUTHOR=Chen Lianghua , Zou Liling , Chen Jingwen , Wang Yixiao , Liu Dandan , Yin Lianjun , Chen Junqi , Li Haihong 

TITLE=Association between cognitive function and body composition in older adults: data from NHANES (1999–2002)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=16

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1372583

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2024.1372583

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Aim</title><p>To investigate the association between cognitive function and body composition in older adults.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>We collected data on 2080 older adults (&gt;60 years of age) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 1999–2000 and 2001–2002. Candidate variables included: demographic data (sex, age, race, education level, marital status, poverty-to-income ratio), alcohol consumption, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, total bone mineral density, and total fat mass. A logistic regression model was established to analyze the association between cognitive function and body composition in older adults. In addition, stratified logics regression analysis was performed by sex and age.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Bone mineral density significantly affects cognitive function in older adults (<italic>p</italic>&lt;0.01). When examining the data according to sex, this correlation is present for women (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). For men, though, it is not significant (<italic>p</italic> = 0.081). Stratified by age, total bone mineral density was significantly correlated with cognitive function in 60–70 and 70–80 years old people, but not in older adults older than 80 years(for 60–70 years old, <italic>p</italic> = 0.019; for 70–80 years old, <italic>p</italic> = 0.022). There was no significant correlation between total bone mineral density and cognitive function (<italic>p</italic> = 0.575).</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>The decrease of total bone mineral density was significantly correlated with cognitive decline in the older adults, especially among women and older people in the 60 to 80 age group. There was no connection between total fat mass, total percent fat, total lean mass, appendicular lean mass, appendicular lean mass /BMI and cognitive function in the older adults.</p></sec>