Giyeon Kim1, Sunha Choi2, Jiyoung Lyu3. 1. Department of Psychology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea. 2. Department of Public Administration, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea. 3. Institute of Aging, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
Abstract
Objectives: This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and trajectories of cognitive decline among older Korean adults. Methods: Participants were a nationally representative sample of 5126 Korean adults aged 60 or older from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA: 2006-2014). The main outcome variable, cognitive function, was measured with the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE). According to the BMI values, respondents were divided into four groups at each wave: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), healthy weight (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥25.0 kg/m2). Growth curve modeling was used to analyze the relationship of interest. Results: The growth curve modeling revealed that, regardless of BMI values, cognitive functioning declined as participants aged, and the rate of cognitive decline accelerated with age. After adjusting for all covariates, older Korean adults who were underweight displayed steeper declines in cognitive functioning, compared to those with a healthy weight. Conversely, overweight or obese older adults showed a much slower cognitive decline as they aged, after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Compared to people with a healthy BMI, people with a low BMI may be at risk for cognitive dysfunction, whereas a high BMI could function as a protective factor for cognitive dysfunction in older adulthood. Future research examining the mechanism for these trajectories are needed. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.
Objectives: This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and trajectories of cognitive decline among older Korean adults. Methods:Participants were a nationally representative sample of 5126 Korean adults aged 60 or older from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA: 2006-2014). The main outcome variable, cognitive function, was measured with the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE). According to the BMI values, respondents were divided into four groups at each wave: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), healthy weight (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥25.0 kg/m2). Growth curve modeling was used to analyze the relationship of interest. Results: The growth curve modeling revealed that, regardless of BMI values, cognitive functioning declined as participants aged, and the rate of cognitive decline accelerated with age. After adjusting for all covariates, older Korean adults who were underweight displayed steeper declines in cognitive functioning, compared to those with a healthy weight. Conversely, overweight or obese older adults showed a much slower cognitive decline as they aged, after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Compared to people with a healthy BMI, people with a low BMI may be at risk for cognitive dysfunction, whereas a high BMI could function as a protective factor for cognitive dysfunction in older adulthood. Future research examining the mechanism for these trajectories are needed. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.
Entities:
Keywords:
Body mass index; cognitive decline; older Korean adults
Authors: Miguel Germán Borda; Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria; Elkin Garcia-Cifuentes; Ronald Camilo Gomez; Carlos Alberto Cano-Gutierrez; Diego Alejandro Tovar-Rios; Vera Aarsland; Khadija Khalifa; Alberto Jaramillo-Jimenez; Dag Aarsland; Hogne Soennesyn Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2021-03-12 Impact factor: 3.921
Authors: Ida K Karlsson; Margaret Gatz; Thalida Em Arpawong; Anna K Dahl Aslan; Chandra A Reynolds Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-03-30 Impact factor: 4.379