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

Abstract

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) cm² vs. 136.4 (93.1, 161.4) cm²; 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.

Reduced serum levels of adiponectin in elderly patients with major depression

“…Reductions in serum adiponectin levels have also been observed in other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, and in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (Kamogawa et al, 2010;Une et al, 2011). Therefore, we can hypothesize that low circulating adiponectin levels is a non-specific marker of cognitive impairment in distinct neuropsychiatric disorder and may represent a pathophysiologic link between LLD and the increased risk of dementia in these patients (Ownby et al, 2006).…”

Obesity as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease: the role of adipocytokines

“…Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a protein that exerts an inhibitory action on adiponectin secretion (Kamogawa et al 2010) and has peripheral and central adverse effects, being the hippocampus particularly vulnerable to its pro-inflammatory action. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels strongly correlate with BMI (Takemura et al 2007) and have been implicated in the demential process, though inconsistently (Une et al 2011).…”

Menopause Analytical Hormonal Correlate Outcome Study (MAHCOS) and the Association to Brain Electrophysiology (P300) in a Clinical Setting

“…Further gender differences in leptin occur regarding C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, highly correlated to leptin levels in women but not in men, which potentially links increased CRP levels to the increased relative adipose load for women [66]. Increased abdominal fat in Japanese men has been associated with mild cognitive impairment, the association inconclusive for Japanese women [67].…”