Adiposity and dementia among Chinese adults: longitudinal study in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
Authors' conclusion
Mid-life but not late-life adiposity was associated with dementia incidence in China. Accelerated weight loss in prodromal dementia is likely to explain the mixed evidence on adiposity and dementia risk in the Chinese population. Rapid decline in adiposity in later life may be an early sign. Reducing mid-life adiposity in the population may mitigate the future dementia burden.
Study context
- Population
- Chinese adults in CHARLS, by age group (50–64 and ≥65)
- Participants
- 13,355 adults
- Exposure
- Mid- and late-life adiposity and incident dementia
- Outcome
- Incident dementia (cognitive batteries and Activity of Daily Living Scale)
Methodological detailscase-control design for adiposity trajectories, mixed-effect model
- Case-control design for adiposity trajectories
- Mixed-effect model
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident dementia by mid-life adiposity (age 50-64)
- Mid-life overweight (body mass index (BMI)), HR
- 1.33 (1.03 to 1.73) (95% CI)
- Mid-life obesity (BMI), HR
- 1.63 (1.17 to 2.28) (95% CI)
- Mid-life abdominal obesity by waist circumference (WC), HR
- 1.45 (1.15 to 1.84) (95% CI)
- Mid-life abdominal obesity by waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), HR
- 1.44 (1.08 to 1.94) (95% CI)
- Share of dementia cases accounted for by mid-life abdominal obesity
- ≤24.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Late-life adiposity (age ≥65) and dementia
- Late-life adiposity was not associated with dementia risk
Age trajectories of adiposity
- In those developing dementia, adiposity was higher in mid-life and declined faster with age vs those remaining dementia-free
Original publication
Adiposity and dementia among Chinese adults: longitudinal study in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Int J Obes (Lond). Published 18 December 2024. doi:10.
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