Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar;65(3):511-519.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.14552. Epub 2016 Dec 19.

Weight Trajectory over 20 Years and Likelihood of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia Among Older Women

Erin S LeBlanc  1 , Joanne H Rizzo  1 , Kathryn L Pedula  1 , Kristine Yaffe  2 , Kristine E Ensrud  3 , Jane Cauley  4 , Peggy M Cawthon  5 , Steven Cummings  5 , Teresa A Hillier  1   6 ; Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) Research Group
Affiliations

Weight Trajectory over 20 Years and Likelihood of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia Among Older Women

Erin S LeBlanc et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: The association between weight change and cognition is controversial. We examined the association between 20-year weight change and cognitive function in late life.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF).

Participants: One thousand two hundred eighty-nine older, community-dwelling women (mean baseline age 68 (65-81) and 88 (82-102) at cognitive testing).

Measurements: Study of Osteoporotic Fractures participants had body weight measured repeatedly over 20 years (mean 8 weights). Adjudicated cognitive status was classified as normal (n = 775) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia (n = 514) at Year 20. Logistic models were used to evaluate whether absolute weight change, rate of weight loss per year, presence of abrupt, unrecovered weight loss, and weight variability were associated with MCI or dementia.

Results: Women with greater rate of weight loss over 20 years had increased chance of developing MCI or dementia. In age/education/clinic-adjusted "base" models, each 0.5 kg/yr decrease resulted in 30% increased odds of MCI/dementia (OR = 1.30 [95% CI: 1.14, 1.49]). After adjustment for age, education, clinic, depression, and walking speed, there was 17% (OR = 1.17 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.35]) increased odds of MCI/dementia for each 0.5 kg/yr decrease in weight. In base models, variability in weight was significant. Each 1% average deviation from each woman's predicted weight curve was associated with 11% increased odds of MCI/dementia (OR = 1.11 [95% CI: 1.04, 1.18]). The estimate was attenuated after full adjustment (OR = 1.06 [95% CI: 0.99, 1.14]). The presence of an abrupt weight decline was not associated with MCI/dementia.

Conclusions: Rate of weight loss over 20 years was associated with development of MCI or dementia in women surviving past 80 years, suggesting that nutritional status, social-environmental factors, and/or adipose tissue function and structure may affect cognitive function with aging.

Keywords: cognitive dysfunction; dementia; weight trajectory.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Luchsinger JA, Patel B, Tang MX, Schupf N, Mayeux R. Measures of adiposity and dementia risk in elderly persons. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(3):392–398. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gustafson DR, Backman K, Waern M, Ostling S, Guo X, Zandi P, Mielke MM, Bengtsson C, Skoog I. Adiposity indicators and dementia over 32 years in Sweden. Neurology. 2009;73(19):1559–1566. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stewart R, Masaki K, Xue QL, Peila R, Petrovitch H, White LR, Launer LJ. A 32-year prospective study of change in body weight and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Arch Neurol. 2005;62(1):55–60. - PubMed
    1. Buchman AS, Wilson RS, Bienias JL, Shah RC, Evans DA, Bennett DA. Change in body mass index and risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2005;65(6):892–897. - PubMed
    1. Nourhashemi F, Deschamps V, Larrieu S, Letenneur L, Dartigues JF, Barberger-Gateau P. Body mass index and incidence of dementia: the PAQUID study. Neurology. 2003;60(1):117–119. - PubMed