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Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Cognition in Obese Individuals with or without Metabolic Risk Factors
R Farah1, P Gilbey2, M Grozovski
1The Department of Internal Medicine B, Ziv Medical Center, Safed, Israel.
Summary
Metabolically unhealthy obese individuals exhibit significant mild cognitive impairment and increased oxidative stress compared to metabolically healthy obese individuals. These findings highlight the link between metabolic health, cognitive function, and oxidative stress in obesity.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Health and Obesity
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Function
- Oxidative Stress and Biochemistry
Background:
- Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
- Obesity is a complex disease characterized by an excessive amount of body fat.
- Both metabolic syndrome and obesity are associated with increased oxidative stress and may contribute to cognitive impairment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome, cognitive impairment, and oxidative stress in obese individuals.
- To compare these associations between metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy obese individuals.
Main Methods:
- Sixty obese individuals (BMI>30) were categorized into metabolically healthy obese (≤2 metabolic syndrome components) and metabolically unhealthy obese (>2 components) groups.
- Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score.
- Measurements included liver stiffness and fat, inflammation (CRP), oxidative stress markers (MDA, SOD, PON, GSH, GPx), and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).
Main Results:
- Metabolically unhealthy obese individuals showed significantly higher rates of dementia (13%) and mild cognitive impairment (51%) compared to metabolically healthy obese individuals (3% dementia, 7% mild cognitive impairment).
- Significant differences were observed in liver stiffness, liver fat, MDA, Glutathione GSH, CRP, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) between the two groups.
- Multivariate analysis identified HOMA-IR, MDA, and GSH as key predictors of metabolically unhealthy obesity.
Conclusions:
- Metabolically unhealthy obesity is associated with significant mild cognitive impairment and elevated oxidative stress.
- The findings suggest a strong link between metabolic dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cognitive decline in obese populations.
- Further research is needed to determine if antioxidant therapies can improve cognitive function in this population.
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