The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and its association with cognitive performance in Type 2 Diabetes in Singapore

Summary Background & aims We aim to examine body composition, and association between SO and cognitive performance in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in an Asian population in Singapore. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 1235 patients with mean age 61.4 ± 8.0 years and T2D primary and secondary care attending diabetes care in Singapore. Body composition was assessed using tetrapolar multi-frequency BIA device analysis. Fat mass to fat-free mass (FM/FFM) ratio was categorized into 3 groups: Group 1, normal, 0.80. Cognition was assessed using Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results The distribution of body composition based on FM/FFM ratio was: Group 1, 20.2%; Group 2, 60.5%; and Group 3, 19.4%. SO (Group 3) was significantly associated with reduced RBANS total score with β-1.44 (95%CI -2.82 to −0.06; p = 0.041) in multivariable linear regression adjusted for demographics, education, depressive symptom(s) and clinical covariates. SO was significantly associated with reduced index scores for immediate memory and language in fully adjusted models with corresponding βs −2.71 (95%CI -5.06 to −0.36; p = 0.024) and −2.48 (95%CI -4.87 to −0.08; p = 0.043). Association between SO and reduced MMSE score was similarly observed. Conclusions The prevalence of SO in Asians with T2D is relatively high. There is consistent and independent association of SO with reduced cognitive performance, especially in domains of memory and language, which may impair complex executive function such as adherence to diabetes self-care management.