Disordered metabolism affects risk for cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias, likely through pathways involving adipokines.
Objective
Analyze incident cognitive impairment in relation to leptin, adiponectin, body mass index, and other risk factors.
Methods
Nested case-control study within the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort of 30,239 adults in the US. Cases with incident cognitive impairment (n = 489) scored >1.57 SD below demographically adjusted means on ≥2 of 3 cognitive tests: word list learning, word list delayed recall, and category fluency. Cognitively intact controls (n = 583) were randomly selected within demographic strata. Leptin and adiponectin were assayed in thawed blood that had been stored at baseline.
Results
In participants with normal weight, lower leptin was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment. Relative to leptin = 25 ng/mL, adjusted ORs were 1.5 (95% CI: 1.2, 1.9) at leptin = 15 ng/mL, 0.8 (0.8, 0.9) at leptin = 30 ng/mL, and 0.5 (0.4, 0.8) at leptin = 45 ng/mL. In participants with obesity, higher adiponectin was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment. Relative to adiponectin = 25 ng/mL, adjusted ORs were 0.8 (95% CI: 0.7, 1.0) at adiponectin = 15 ng/mL, 1.1 (1.0, 1.2) at adiponectin = 30 ng/mL, and 1.3 (1.0, 1.7) at adiponectin = 45 ng/mL. Associations of adipokines with cognitive impairment varied across levels of other risk factors.
Conclusions
Adipokines, in concert with body mass index, play complex roles in cognitive health, with many avenues open for further investigation.
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