Oxford University Press, European Journal of Public Health, Supplement_3(32), 2022
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac129.493
Cambridge University Press, British Journal of Psychiatry, 02(212), p. 96-102
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2017.26
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Abstract Background Previous studies have examined associations of cardiometabolic factors with depression and cognition separately. Aims To determine if depressive symptoms mediate the association between cardiometabolic factors and cognitive decline in two community studies. Methods Data for the analyses were drawn from the Rotterdam Study, the Netherlands (n = 2940), the Whitehall II study, UK (n = 4469) and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, Canada (n = 13,720). Results Mediation analyses suggested a direct association between cardiometabolic factors and cognitive decline and an indirect association through depression: poorer cardiometabolic status at time 1 was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms at time 2 (standardised regression coefficient 0.07 and 0.06, respectively), which, in turn, was associated with greater cognitive decline between time 2 and time 3 (standardised regression coefficient of -0.15 and -0.41, respectively). Conclusions Evidence from three independent cohort studies suggest an association between cardiometabolic dysregulation and cognitive decline and that depressive symptoms tend to precede this decline. Key messages • Cardiometabolic dysregulation and depression might increase cognitive decline. • The association between cardiometabolic dysregulation and cognitive decline might be mediated by depression.