[Association between sarcopenic obesity phenotype and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling old adults]

Objective: To investigate the association between sarcopenic obesity (SO) phenotype and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in community-dwelling old adults. Methods: The base line data from Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study during 2018-2023 were used in this study. Old adults aged ≥65 years, including those from 4 urban communities in Wuhan and 48 rural villages in Dawu, Hubei Province, were recruited through cluster random sampling. They were divided into four groups: control (without sarcopenia or obesity), obesity only, sarcopenia only, and SO. MCI was diagnosed by using Peterson criteria. The associations of obesity only, sarcopenia only, SO with MCI risk were evaluated by binary logistic regression analysis, then stratified analyses was conducted. Results: A total of 2 738 old adults aged ≥65 years [(72.59±5.36) years] were included in this study, in whom 53.98% were women.The crude prevalence rates of obesity, sarcopenia, and SO were 50.62%, 18.37%, and 10.01%, respectively. The prevalence of MCI was 22.62% in the control, 24.46% in the obesity only, 43.67% in the sarcopenia only, 43.43% in the SO. After adjusting for all variables. The risk for MCI increased by 71% (OR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.24-2.37) in sarcopenia only group and 60% (OR=1.60, 95%CI: 1.18-2.16) in SO group compared with the control. In subgroup analysis, the moderation effect of age and residence were statistically significant (all P interactions <0.05). In the rural old adults, compared with control, obesity only group showed a 28% (OR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.54-0.97) lower risk for MCI, while the sarcopenia only group showed a 53% (OR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.07-2.20). In the urban adults, compared with control, SO group showed a 116% (OR=2.16, 95%CI: 1.11-4.19) higher risk for MCI. Conclusion: Both sarcopenia only and SO are the potential risk factors for MCI in community-dwelling old adults aged ≥65 years with heterogeneity across populations.