Psychosom Med. 2022 Jun 28. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001099. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Prior studies have suggested reciprocal relationships between cognitive function and adiposity, but this has not been investigated with population representative datasets. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cognitive function and adiposity in a large population-based sample of middle-aged and older adults. It was hypothesized that better scores on tests of cognitive function would be associated with lower adiposity and this association would be primarily mediated through lifestyle behavior and physical health status.
METHODS: Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 30,097), we tested our hypotheses using three indicators of cognitive function (animal fluency, Stroop interference, and men reaction time) and four indicators of adiposity (body mass index [BMI], total fat mass, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio). Hierarchical multivariable linear regression modeling was conducted followed by tests for moderation by socioeconomic status and mediation through diet, physical activity, hypertension and diabetes status.
RESULTS: All measures of cognitive indicators were significantly associated with adiposity after adjusting for confounders. In general, superior performance on animal fluency, Stroop and reaction time tasks were associated with lower adiposity by most metrics. Stroop interference was associated with lower adiposity across all metrics, including BMI (b = 0.04, 95% CI 0.06, 0.01), total fat mass (b = 19.35, 95% CI 8.57, 30.12), waist circumference (b = 33.83, 95% CI 10.08, 57.58), and waist-hip ratio (b = 0.13,95% CI 0.01, 0.24). These associations were more substantial for moderate- and high-income sub-populations. Mediational analyses suggested that the above effects were mediated through lifestyle behavior (e.g., diet and physical activity) and physical health conditions (e.g., diabetes and diet).
CONCLUSIONS: Reliable associations exist between cognitive function and adiposity in middle-aged and older adults. The associations appear to be mediated through lifestyle behavior and physical health conditions.
PMID:35797581 | DOI:10.1097/PSY.0000000000001099
