Effects of adiposity on postural control and cognition in older adults

Abstract Background Understanding the impacts of increased adiposity on postural control and cognitive deficits in adults is critical for health practitioners in recommending or prescribing effective weight loss regimens. Despite prior work in this area, the knowledge of increased adiposity impacts on postural control and cognitive deficits in older adults (OAs) is still limited. Research question The purposes of the current study were: (a) to assess the relationship between postural measures and adiposity measures by using regression model analyses and, (b) to examine the impacts of increased adiposity and age on cognitive performance. Methods A total of thirty (30) individuals aged 60+ years participated in the study. Participants were classified into three groups based upon their BMI scores at the onset of the study. The normal weight (NW) (BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), the overweight (OW) (BMI: 25-29.9 kg/m2) and the obese (OB) groups (BMI: 30-40 kg/m2) each had five females and five males. Participants were required to perform two test sessions: (1) anthropometry assessment and body composition scanning; and (2) evaluation of plantar tactile function, postural control, and cognitive function. Results Overall, our findings indicate that increased adiposity in OAs is associated with declines in both cognitive function and postural control. Significance Our data also indicate that measures such as BMI and abdominal fat mass amounts/ratios offer the best insight to the impact of adiposity on cognitive function and postural control measures. However, further work is still needed to clarify the mechanistic links between adiposity and cognitive-postural deficits.