Effects of combined dietary intervention and physical-cognitive exercise on cognitive function and cardiometabolic health of postmenopausal women with obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Postmenopausal women with obesity are markedly at risk of cognitive impairment and several health issues. Emerging evidence demonstrated that both diet and exercise, particularly physical-cognitive exercise are involved in cognitive and health benefits. However, the comparative effect of diet, exercise, and combined interventions in postmenopausal women with obesity on cognition and cardiometabolic health is still lacking. Identifying the effective health promotion program and understanding changes in cardiometabolic health linking these interventions to cognition would have important medical implications. This RCT aimed to examine the effect of single and combined interventions of diet and exercise on cognitive function and cardiometabolic health in postmenopausal women with obesity.

Methods: Ninety-two postmenopausal women with obesity were randomly assigned to diet group (intermittent fasting 2 days/week, 3 months), exercise group (physical-cognitive exercise 3 days/week, 3 months), combined group, or control group (n = 23/group). All cognitive outcomes and cardiometabolic outcomes were measured at baseline and post-3 months. Primary outcomes were executive functions, memory, and plasma BDNF levels. Secondary outcomes were global cognition, attention, language domain, plasma adiponectin levels, IL-6 levels, metabolic parameters, and physical function.

Results: At the end of the 3-month intervention, the exercise and combined group demonstrated significant memory improvement which was accompanied by significant improvements in plasma BDNF level, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, %body fat, and muscle strength when compared to controls (p < 0.05). Only the combined intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in executive function and increased plasma adiponectin levels when compared to control (p < 0.05). Surprisingly, no cognitive improvement was observed in the diet group (p > 0.05). Significant reduction in cholesterol levels was shown in the diet and combined groups when compared to controls (p < 0.05). Among the three intervention groups, there were no significant differences in all cognitive outcomes and cardiometabolic outcomes (p > 0.05). However, all three intervention groups showed significant improvements in plasma BDNF levels, weight, BMI, WHR, fat mass, and predicted VO₂ max, when compared to control (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that combined physical-cognitive exercise and dietary intervention are promising interventions to improve cognition and obesity-related complications of postmenopausal women with obesity.

Trial registration: NCT04768725 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ) 24th February 2021.

Keywords: Adiponectin; Cognitive function; Diet; Executive function; Exercise; Intermittent fasting; Obesity; Physical-cognitive; Postmenopausal women.