Association Between Individual Components of Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Function in Northeast Rural China

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this article was to examine associations between metabolic syndrome and its individual components with cognitive function among rural elderly population in northeast China. Methods: Our study included 1047 residents aged older than 60 years in a northeast rural area. All were interviewed and data were obtained including sociodemographic and medical histories. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination. Metabolic syndrome was defined by NCEP-ATP III. Results: After adjusted for confounding factors, metabolic syndrome was inversely associated with cognitive function (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-3.01) especially in participants aged less than 70 years old (OR = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.27-5.26). In addition, participants with metabolic syndrome had worse language function, which is a part of cognitive function (OR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.39-5.00). Individual metabolic syndrome components, especially abdominal obesity and hyperglycemia, had significant association with cognitive function (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56-0.92 and OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.12-1.78, respectively). Conclusions: Abdominal obesity might be a protective factor for cognitive function. However, hyperglycemia might be a risk factor.