J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2013 Nov;52(6):447-453.

Association between Obesity Indices and MMSE-K in Elderly

• Lee HJ
• Choi HY
• Yun KW
• Kim YC
• Lim WJ
• Kim JH
• Kim SI

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to investigate associations between obesity indices and cognitive functions using data from individuals older than 65 years in South Korea.
METHODS
A total of 151 Koreans older than 65 years participated in this study voluntarily. Obesity was determined using body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K). The participants were divided into four groups according to BMI : underweight (BMI<18.5), normal (18.5< or =BMI<23.0), overweight (23.0< or =BMI<25.0), and obesity (BMI> or =25.0), and two groups according to WHR : normal (WHR<18.5) and abdominal obesity (WHR> or =0.8). Baseline characteristics were compared among different BMI or WHR subgroups.
RESULTS
Older age and smoking habits showed an association with poor cognitive function. Among different BMI groups, the overweight group had the highest scores of MMSE-K ; the item scores for time and place orientation (4.48+/-0.770 and 4.80+/-0.500) and attention/calculation (4.00+/-1.258) as well as total score (25.88+/-2.877). Overweight in BMI showed an association with better cognitive function (OR(adjusted )=0.098, 95% confidence interval=0.017-0.577).
CONCLUSION
In this study, the overweight group measured by BMI showed better cognitive function than other groups. Overweight in elderly might be acceptable in order to maintain cognitive performance. Further investigation regarding the underlying mechanism explaining the relationship between cognitive function and body weight will be needed.

Keyword

Elderly; Obesity; Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Humans
Obesity*
Obesity, Abdominal
Overweight
Republic of Korea
Smoke
Smoking
Thinness
Waist-Hip Ratio
Smoke

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