Observational studyThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2021
Association Between Midlife Obesity and Its Metabolic Consequences, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Cognitive Decline.
Observational study in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 145 citations in OpenAlex.
- ProbioticNarra J · 2025Pooled it
- Is there an association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cognitive function? A systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of obesity on brain health and cognition.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2026Review
- Behavioral, neuroanatomic, and neuroinflammatory characteristics of metabolic syndrome in cafeteria diet-induced obese male rats.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Article
- Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Mechanisms in Cognitive Impairment Associated with Central Obesity.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Domain-Specific Cognitive Function in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Body Mass Index and Dietary Self-Regulation Are Associated with Attenuated Error Monitoring in Young Adults.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Weight gain and brain development in the ABCD study cohort: A decade of insight and the road ahead.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Review
- Shared genetic and molecular architecture between insulin resistance and cognitive performance.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Aging and metabolism contribute separately to brain-body health.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Obesity-Related Cognitive Impairment: An Update Overview of Mechanisms and Treatments.Expert reviews in molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- Association of metabolic obesity phenotypes with cognitive decline in the ELSA-Brasil study.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Article
- Obesity-induced cognitive impairment: Underlying mechanisms and therapeutic prospects.Metabolism open · 2026Review
- The influence of sex steroids on cognition in elderly men.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- The virtual Morris water maze for cognitive function assessment in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Diabetologia · 2026Article
- Impact of ethnicity and antihyperglycemic medications on dementia incidence in older adults with type 2 diabetes.Endocrine connections · 2026Article
- Sex Differences in the Association Between Body Composition and Cognitive Performance in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes.Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews · 2026Observational
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
contextChronic obesity is associated with several complications, including cognitive impairment and dementia. However, we have only piecemeal knowledge of the mechanisms linking obesity to central nervous system damage. Among candidate mechanisms are other elements of obesity-associated metabolic syndrome, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, but also systemic inflammation. While there have been several neuroimaging studies linking adiposity to changes in brain morphometry, a comprehensive investigation of the relationship has so far not been done.
objectiveTo identify links between adiposity and cognitive dysfunction.
methodsThis observational cohort study (UK Biobank), with an 8-year follow-up, included more than 20 000 participants from the general community, with a mean age of 63 years. Only participants with data available on both baseline and follow-up timepoints were included. The main outcome measures were cognitive performance and mediator variables: hypertension, diabetes, systemic inflammation, dyslipidemia, gray matter measures, and cerebrovascular disease (volume of white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging).
resultsUsing structural equation modeling, we found that body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage were positively related to higher plasma C-reactive protein, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. In turn, hypertension and diabetes were related to cerebrovascular disease. Finally, cerebrovascular disease was associated with lower cortical thickness and volume and higher subcortical volumes, but also cognitive deficits (largest significant pcorrected = 0.02).
conclusionsWe show that adiposity is related to poor cognition, with metabolic consequences of obesity and cerebrovascular disease as potential mediators. The outcomes have clinical implications, supporting a role for the management of adiposity in the prevention of late-life dementia and cognitive decline.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.