This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Low cognitive function linked to impaired fasting glucose
An elevated risk for impaired fasting glucose in young adults is independently associated with lower cognitive function in late adolescence, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Gilad Twig, MD, PhD, of Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel, and colleagues evaluated data from the Metabolic Lifestyle and Nutrition Assessment in Young Adults (MELANY) study on 17,348 normoglycemic adults (free of IFG and diabetes; 87% men; mean age, 31 years) to determine the relationship between cognitive function and risk for IFG. Data were available for participants’ general intelligence score (GIS) at age 17 years. Every 3 to 5 years at scheduled visits, participants’ fasting plasma glucose was measured. Follow-up was conducted for a median of 6.6 years.
Participants were divided into groups based on their GIS score: low (n = 1,332), medium (n = 12,752) and high (n = 3,264).
Through follow-up, there were 1,478 new cases of IFG (5% women).
Compared with participants in the highest GIS category, those in the lowest had a 1.9-fold greater risk for incident IFG after adjustment for age and sex (P < .001).
The risk for incident IFG was nearly doubled among participants in the lowest GIS category compared with those in the highest after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, FPG level, family history of diabetes, country of origin, socioeconomic status, education, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, breakfast consumption, triglyceride level and white blood cell count (HR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4-2.3).
In all models that used GIS as a continuous variable, there was an 11% increase in risk for IFG for every point decrease in GIS (HR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.06-1.15).
“On a clinical level, along with family history of diabetes, FPG, [triglyceride] level, [white blood cell] counts and BMI, assessment of cognitive function may serve as a marker of overall health and aid in the identification of those at increased risk for dysglycemia,” the researchers wrote. “On a research level, these findings may be the basis for further research exploring the mechanistic routes that underlie the cognitive–dysglycemia relationship.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.