Association Between Nutrition Status and Cognitive Impairment Among Chinese Nonagenarians and Centenarians

Abstract

Summary: Background: The association of nutrition status with cognitive impairment has been confirmed by previous studies. However, there are no relevant data from a Chinese oldest old population. Method: Five hundred eighty elderly residents aged 90 years or more were investigated. Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle habits were collected by using a general questionnaire. Nutritional state was assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and biochemical parameters, whereas cognitive performance was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Multiple Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between cognitive impairment and nutrition status. Results: The total prevalence rate of cognitive impairment was 55.5%, 67 (35.1%) men and 255 (65.6%) women were classified as cognitive impairment. Compared with cognitively impaired subjects, those with normal cognition had a higher MNA score (14.28 ± 1.89 vs.13.51 ± 1.75, p < 0.05), a higher level of hemoglobin (116.53 ± 16.74 vs.112.62 ± 13.82, p < 0.05) and body mass index (BMI) (19.63 ± 3.8 vs. 18.96 ± 3.59, p < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between MMSE with MNA (p < 0.05), the level of HGB (p < 0.05) and BMI (p < 0.05). In the multivariate model, malnutrition (OR = 4.24, 95% CI: 1.89–9.52) was the risk factor for cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Among Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians, there were significant associations between nutrition status and cognitive impairment. Further studies should evaluation if maintaining a good nutritional status or nutritional intervention may be effective in the management and prevention of cognitive impairment. Keywords: Chinese population, cognitive impairment, nonagenarians and centenarians, nutrition