Visceral Fat Accumulation Is Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Community-Dwelling Older Japanese Women

Visceral fat accumulation is detrimental for brain health and is associated with cognitive impairment in older adults. The objectives of the present study were to examine the association between visceral fat accumulation and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and its subtypes.

a cross-sectional study.

This study enrolled 6,109 community-dwelling older adults, including 3,434 women (mean age: 74.4 years) and 2,675 men (mean age: 74.3 years). Individuals with dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Mini-Mental State Examination scores ≤23, and who could not perform basic activities of daily living independently were excluded.

Participants underwent neurocognitive assessments to assess mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its subtypes. Visceral fat area (VFA) was measured using abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis. Participants were divided into quartile groups by VFA.

There were 731 (21.3%) women and 562 (21.0%) men with MCI, and the median VFA values were 63.3 cm2 and 96.3 cm2, respectively. Women participants in the second (adjusted odds ratios [aOR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.54-0.94), third (aOR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.47-0.92), and fourth quartiles of VFA (aOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.93) had a significantly lower risk of MCI than those in the first quartile. Higher VFA quartiles in women were associated with lower risk of non-amnestic MCI. There were no significant differences in men between quartiles.

Visceral fat accumulation was associated with MCI, especially non-amnestic MCI, in community-dwelling older Japanese women. These results suggest that visceral fat accumulation is partially protective against cognitive impairment.