Relationship Between Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Function: A Population-Based Study of Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults in Rural China

INTRODUCTION: To explore the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cognitive impairment in a low-income and low-education population. METHODS: All residents aged ≥45 years in a low-income population in Tianjin, China, were eligible to participate in this study. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale was used to conduct a preliminary screening and assessment of the participants’ cognitive statuses. The MMSE components are orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language. RESULTS: In this population, the prevalences of MetS and cognitive impairment were 54.1% and 44.5%, respectively. In the overall population, the registration score was 0.105 points lower in the elevated triglycerides (TG) group than in the normal TG group (β, −0.105; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.201, −0.010; P=0.030). In men, high TG was associated with registration scores that were 0.152 points lower than those in the normal TG group (95% CI: −0.281, −0.022; P=0.022), while larger WC and lower HDL-C had positive effects on cognitive scores (all P<0.05). However, in women, there were no significant differences between cognitive scores and MetS or its components. CONCLUSION: In this population, first, TG had a great impact on cognition, even greater than the impact of MetS on cognition. Second, the impact of MetS components on cognition was more obvious in men, and not all of the effects were negative. Therefore, the effect of MetS on cognition may need to be analyzed separately for different populations, and it may be that the effect of a single component is greater than the overall effect. When formulating prevention strategies for cognitive impairments, population differences must also be taken into consideration.