Central and Peripheral Adiposity Had Different Effect on Disability in Centenarians.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Centenarians represent a unique population for studying aging and health.
• Understanding factors influencing daily living activities in extreme longevity is crucial for public health initiatives.
• Anthropometric measures like calf circumference and waist-calf circumference ratio may indicate health status in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between anthropometric measurements (waist circumference, BMI, calf circumference, waist-calf circumference ratio) and disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
• To explore these correlations specifically within the population of Hainan centenarians.

Main Methods:

• A total of 1,002 Hainan centenarians were surveyed.
• Activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) were assessed.
• Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to examine potential non-linear associations, with adjustments for demographic and lifestyle factors.

Main Results:

• Higher calf circumference (CC) was associated with a lower risk of ADL disability (OR=0.90) and severe IADL disability (OR=0.86).
• A high waist-calf circumference ratio (WCR) was linked to a higher risk of ADL disability (OR=1.73) and severe IADL disability (OR=2.23).
• Adjustments were made for gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, education, residence, smoking, drinking, and exercise.

Conclusions:

• Central (WCR) and peripheral (CC) adiposity have distinct impacts on disability in centenarians.
• Maintaining muscle mass, indicated by higher CC, and avoiding central obesity are beneficial for preventing ADL/IADL disability in the oldest old.