Body weight changes and longitudinal associations with cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults

Hrafnhildur Eymundsdottir; Alfons Ramel; Olof G Geirsdottir; Sigrun S Skuladottir; Larus S Gudmundsson; Palmi V Jonsson; Vilmundur Gudnason; Lenore Launer; Maria K Jonsdottir; Milan Chang

doi:10.1002/dad2.12163

Body weight changes and longitudinal associations with cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults

Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2021 Feb 20;13(1):e12163. doi: 10.1002/dad2.12163. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Hrafnhildur Eymundsdottir^{1

2}, Alfons Ramel^{1

2}, Olof G Geirsdottir^{1

2}, Sigrun S Skuladottir^{1

2}, Larus S Gudmundsson³, Palmi V Jonsson^{2

4

5}, Vilmundur Gudnason^{4

6}, Lenore Launer⁷, Maria K Jonsdottir^{8

9}, Milan Chang^{2

10}

Affiliations

¹ Food Science and Nutrition University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland.
² The Icelandic Gerontological Research Center the National University Hospital of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland.
³ Pharmaceutical Sciences School of Health Sciences University of Iceland Iceland.
⁴ Medicine University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland.
⁵ Department of Geriatrics the National University Hospital of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland.
⁶ Icelandic Heart Association Kopavogur Iceland.
⁷ Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences National Institute on Aging National Institutes of Health Bethesda Maryland USA.
⁸ Department of Psychology Reykjavik University Reykjavik Iceland.
⁹ Mental Health Services Landspitali-The National University Hospital of Iceland Iceland.
¹⁰ Health Promotion Sport, and Leisure Studies School of Education University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland.

Abstract

Introduction: We aim to investigate the longitudinal associations between changes in body weight (BW) and declines in cognitive function and risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia among cognitively normal individuals 65 years or older.

Methods: Data from the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study (AGES-Reykjavik Study) including 2620 participants, were examined using multiple logistic regression models. Cognitive function included speed of processing (SP), executive function (EF), and memory function (MF). Changes in BW were classified as; weight loss (WL), weight gain (WG), and stable weight (SW).

Results: Mean follow-up time was 5.2 years and 61.3% were stable weight. Participants who experienced WL (13.4%) were significantly more likely to have declines in MF and SP compared to the SW group. Weight changes were not associated with EF. WL was associated with a higher risk of MCI, while WG (25.3%) was associated with a higher dementia risk, when compared to SW.

Discussion: Significant BW changes in older adulthood may indicate impending changes in cognitive function.

Keywords: APOE ε4; body weight changes; cognitive function; dementia; executive function; memory function; mild cognitive impairment; nutrition; speed of processing.