Abdominal Fat, Adipose-Derived Hormones and Mild Cognitive Impairment: The J-SHIPP Study

• Published in: Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders 2010-01, Vol.30 (5), p.432-439
• Main Authors: Kamogawa, Kenji, Kohara, Katsuhiko, Tabara, Yasuharu, Uetani, Eri, Nagai, Tokihisa, Yamamoto, Miyuki, Igase, Michiya, Miki, Tetsuro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal Fat - pathology; Adipokines - blood; Adipokines - metabolism; Adiponectin - blood; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - metabolism; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Humans; Leptin - blood; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurology; Neuropharmacology; Obesity - pathology; Obesity - psychology; Original Research Article; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Testosterone - blood; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 1420-8008; 1421-9824
• DOI: 10.1159/000321985

Background/Aim: Lower body weight in later life has been shown to be associated with dementia. However, abdominal fat distribution under conditions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the possible involvement of leptin and adiponectin in MCI have not been fully investigated. Methods: We analyzed 517 middle-aged-to-elderly community-dwelling persons. Abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat areas were determined using computed tomography, and plasma leptin and adiponectin concentrations were measured in fasting samples. MCI was assessed using the Japanese version of the MCI screening method. Results: In men, the abdominal subcutaneous fat area was significantly lower in participants with MCI than in those with normal cognitive function [median (interquartile range): 107.4 (85.9, 133.1) cm 2 vs. 136.4 (93.1, 161.4) cm 2 ; p = 0.002]. Logistic regression analyses with confounding factors including age and abdominal subcutaneous fat area showed that a 10 mg/l increase in plasma adiponectin had a protective effect against the development of MCI in men (odds ratio: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.20–0.97; p = 0.041). In contrast, MCI was not found to be associated with abdominal fat area or adipose-derived hormones in women. Conclusion: Reduced amounts of subcutaneous fat and low levels of plasma adiponectin were found to be associated with MCI in men.