Body mass and cognitive decline are indirectly associated via inflammation among aging adults
Abstract
Inflammatory models of neurodegeneration suggest that higher circulating levels of inflammation can lead to cognitive decline. Despite established independent associations between greater body mass, increased inflammation, and cognitive decline, no prior research has explored whether markers of systemic inflammation might mediate the association between body mass and changes in cognitive functioning. To test such a model, we used two longitudinal subsamples (ns=9066; 12,561) of aging adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) study, which included two cognitive measures components of memory and executive functioning, as well as measurements of body mass and systemic inflammation, assessed via C-reactive protein (CRP). Greater body mass was indirectly associated with declines in memory and executive functioning over 6years via relatively higher levels of CRP. Our results suggest that systemic inflammation is one biologically plausible mechanism through which differences in body mass might influence changes in cognitive functioning among aging adults.
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Poor executive functioning is associated with consumption of palatable food, leading to inflammation and metabolic changes promoting weight gain.
“It is established that poor executive functioning is associated with consumption of palatable food, leading to inflammation and metabolic changes promoting weight gain [161,162,163].”
From Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications (2020) · cites this paper as [163]
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References 48 · Cited by 61
- Authors
- Bourassa, K., & Sbarra, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bourassa, Kyle
- Venue
- Brain Behavior and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-02
- Volume
- 60
- Pages
- 63-70
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2524384092
- Cited by
- 61
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 5.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Government of the United Kingdom
- University College London
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Keywords
- body mass, cognitive decline, systemic inflammation, C-reactive protein, mediation, memory, executive function, older adults, neurodegeneration, obesity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aging, C-Reactive Protein, Cognition, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Memory, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Biomarkers, Body Mass Index, Executive Function, Cognitive Dysfunction
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