Does abdominal fat affect the cognitive function of older adults with diabetes?
Higher levels of abdominal fat were linked with reduced cognitive function in a Clinical Obesity study of older Asians with type 2 diabetes—even in individuals with normal weight.
In the 677-participant study, higher abdominal fat—or visceral adiposity—was associated with lower scores related to memory and language.
"Preserved cognitive functioning is important in the execution of complex task such as diabetes self-care management. Therefore, assessment of visceral adiposity and interventions that target visceral adiposity may help to prevent cognitive decline in older patients with diabetes and reduce the global burden of dementia in ageing populations," the authors wrote.
More information: Mei Chung Moh et al, Association of traditional and novel measures of central obesity with cognitive performance in older multi‐ethnic Asians with type 2 diabetes, Clinical Obesity (2020). DOI: 10.1111/cob.12352
