Interactive relations of type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity to cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional study in rural area of Xi'an in China.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are frequently comorbid, have been associated with cognitive impairment. We aim to examine the potential modulating effect between obesity and diabetes on cognitive impairment.

Methods: We recruited 865 adults (aged ≥55years) lived in a village of Xi'an in China from October 2014 to March 2015. All participants underwent biomedical and neuropsychological assessment. Relations of diabetes and abdominal obesity to cognitive impairment were examined in multiple regression models.

Results: A total of 155 participants (17.9%) presented with the diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Diabetes or obesity alone wasn't significantly associated with cognitive impairment. Interaction analysis showed a significant interaction between abdominal obesity and diabetes on cognitive impairment. Stratified multivariate analysis revealed that the association between diabetes and cognitive impairment was positive in participants with abdominal obesity (OR 2.436, 95% CI 1.345-4.411, p=0.003, in diabetics with high WC, and OR 2.348, 95% CI 1.373-4.014, p=0.002, in diabetics with high WHR), but negative in those without abdominal obesity.

Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes interacts with abdominal obesity to be associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment by more than two times.