Association between basal metabolic rate and cognitive function in Chinese older adults: the mediating effect of...

Cognitive aging poses a major worldwide health concern. The association between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and cognition isn't well understood. This research examines sarcopenia's potential role as a mediator: linking BMR to cognitive function.

Analysis used China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data from adults aged ≥ 60 years (2015, 2018 waves). Mental integrity and episodic memory recall assessed cognitive function. Linear multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the associations between BMR, sarcopenia, and cognitive function, adjusting for potential confounders. Mediation analyses explored sarcopenia's role in the BMR-cognitive function relationship. Restricted cubic splines assessed nonlinear relationships, and subgroup analyses evaluated group heterogeneity.

Longitudinal linear multivariate modeling, after covariate adjustment, demonstrated a significant positive association linking BMR to cognitive function (β = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.25-2.21, P = 0.014). Sarcopenia showed an inverse relationship with cognitive function (β = - 0.75, 95% CI: -1.11- -0.40, P < 0.001). Critically, sarcopenia mediated 26.98% of BMR's total effect on cognitive function, with an indirect effect of 5.27 × 10⁻⁴ (95% CI: 8.61 × 10⁻⁴- 1.54 × 10⁻³). Subgroup analysis indicated that smoking status and place of residence had significant effects on the relationship between basal metabolic rate and cognitive function.

The study found that BMR is positively associated with cognitive function, whereas sarcopenia is inversely associated with cognitive function and mediates the BMR- cognitive function association.