Metabolic syndrome correlates poorly with cognitive performance in stroke-free community-dwelling older adults: a population-based, cross-sectional study in rural Ecuador

Background: Studies investigating a possible correlation between metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline have been inconsistent. Aims: To determine whether metabolic syndrome or each of its components correlate with cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults in rural Ecuador. Methods: Stroke-free Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door survey. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Cognition was evaluated by the use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Multivariate logistic regression models estimated the association between metabolic syndrome and each of its components with cognitive performance. Results: A total of 212 persons (mean age: 69.2 ± 7.2 years, 64 % women) were enrolled. Of these, 120 (57 %) had metabolic syndrome. Mean scores in the MoCA were 18.2 ± 4.6 for persons with and 19 ± 4.7 for those without metabolic syndrome. In fully adjusted logistic models, MoCA scores were not associated with metabolic syndrome (p = 0.101). After testing individual components of metabolic syndrome with the MoCA score, we found that only hypertriglyceridemia was independently associated with the MoCA score (p = 0.009). Conclusions: This population-based study showed a poor correlation of metabolic syndrome with cognitive performance after adjusting for relevant confounders. Of the individual components of metabolic syndrome, only hypertriglyceridemia correlated with worse cognitive performance.