Is Obesity Associated with Lower Mini Mental Test Scores among Elderly? A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives:

Obesity leads to many chronic diseases and its association with cognitive impairment is controversial. The objective was to investigate the association between obesity, anthropometric measurements and cognitive functions of elderly.

Methods:

Planned cross-sectionally, community-dwelling Cypriots (aged ≥ 50 years) without any neurological disorders, were included. Cognitive impairment evaluated by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was the dependent variable. Socio-demographic variables, anthropometric measurements and obesity were the independent variables. The data was collected via face-to-face interview. Logistic regression models were constituted to determine the association of anthropometric measurements, obesity and dementia.

Results:

The mean age of participants (n = 541) was 60.0 ± 8.7 for women (n = 377) and 61.5 ± 6.0 years for men (n = 164). According to MMSE, 26.0% of women and 11.0% of men had mild-dementia, and the rest scored normal. After adjusted for age and sex, each unit increase in BMI (OR: 1.045, 95%CI: 1.008–1.091), Waist to height ratio (WHtR; OR: 1.030, 95%CI: 1.006–1.055) and Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC; OR: 1.077, 95%CI: 1.016–1.141) increases the risk of mild-dementia. When education, employment and smoking were included in the models, significance of anthropometric measurements was diminished and only sex and education were remained significant for all.

Conclusion:

After controlled for age and sex, increment in anthropometric measurements increased the risk of dementia but when education was taken into consideration, this significant association was diminished showing that sex and education is more predominant in a heterogeneous group in means of education. Thus, for heterogeneous groups it might be better to revise MMSE. To determine the association between obesity and dementia cohort studies with longer follow-up duration with larger samples are needed.

Keywords:

• Anthropometry
• obesity
• cognition disorders
• dementia

Authorship

NI contributed in the design of the study, interpretation of the data for the study, drafting the study, making agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the study and final approval of the version to be published.

MO contributed in the interpretation of data for the study, analysis of the data for the study and final approval of the version to be published.

RM contributed in the analysis of the data for the study, drafting the study and final approval of the version to be published.

HTB contributed in the designing and revising of the study, final approval of the version to be published.

Acknowledgment

All authors thank to Neurologist Dr. Pınar Gelener for her contribution to the evaluation of Mini Mental State Examination.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical standards disclosure

This study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and all procedures were approved by the Eastern Mediterranean University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee (project number: ETK00-2016-0042). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

The manuscript is an original article which assess the relation between obesity and cognition among people aged 50 years and over, living in Cyprus. All authors confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved for submission and it represents honest work and it has not been published before and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.