Background

Some studies have reported an association between body composition and cognition in older adults, but underlying mechanisms and physiological factors remain poorly understood. Moreover, sex-related differences in metabolic health and age-related cognitive decline have gained major interest lately. The present study investigated the potential moderating effect of sex on the relationship between body composition and cognition in older adults.

Methods

Global cognition, assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and body composition, measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), were analyzed in 155 women and 65 men aged 60 years old or more. Moderation analyses were computed to determine if sex moderates the effect of the different body composition parameters on the MoCA while controlling for the body mass index and the level of education of the participants.

Results

Sex moderated the association between total lean mass, trunk lean mass, arms lean mass, and the MoCA score. These body composition parameters were positively associated with cognition only in men. Fat mass was not associated with cognition in any sex.

Conclusion

Overall, higher lean mass and in particular trunk and arms lean mass was associated with higher cognitive abilities in older men. Longitudinal studies or intervention studies are needed to further identify physiological mechanisms that sustain the relationship between lean mass and cognition.

中文翻译：

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老年人身体组成与认知之间的性别调节关联。

背景

一些研究报告了老年人的身体成分与认知之间的关联，但是对潜在的机制和生理因素仍然知之甚少。此外，最近在代谢健康方面与性别有关的差异和与年龄有关的认知能力下降引起了人们的极大兴趣。本研究调查了性别对老年人身体组成与认知之间关系的潜在调节作用。

方法

在155名女性和65岁年龄在60岁以上的男性中，分析了通过蒙特利尔认知评估（MoCA）评估的整体认知和使用双能X射线吸收法（DXA）测量的身体成分。计算适度分析以确定性别是否在控制体重指数和参与者的教育水平的同时减轻了不同身体成分参数对MoCA的影响。

结果

性别减轻了总瘦体重，躯干瘦体重，手臂瘦体重和MoCA评分之间的关​​联。这些身体成分参数仅与男性的认知呈正相关。脂肪量与任何性别的认知都不相关。

结论

总体而言，较高的瘦体重，尤其是躯干和手臂的瘦体重与老年男性的较高认知能力有关。需要进行纵向研究或干预研究，以进一步确定维持瘦体重与认知之间关系的生理机制。