Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Horie NC, Serrao VT, Simon SS, Gascon MR, Dos Santos AX, Zambone MA, Del Bigio de Freitas MM, Cunha-Neto E et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2015-12-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Context Obesity in midlife is a risk factor for dementia, but it is unknown if caloric restriction-induced weight loss could prevent cognitive decline and therefore dementia in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. Objective To evaluate the cognitive effect of intentional weight loss in obese elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), considering the influence of age, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, physical activity, biochemical markers, and diet. Design Single-center, prospective controlled trial. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Eighty obese patients with MCI, aged 60 or older (68.1 ± 4.9 y, body mass index [BMI] 35.5 ± 4.4 kg/m(2), 83.7% women, 26.3% APOE allele ϵ4 carriers). Intervention Random allocation to conventional medical care alone (n = 40) or together with nutritional counselling (n = 40) in group meetings aiming to promote weight loss through caloric restriction for 12 months. Outcome measurements clinical data, body composition, neuropsychological tests (main outcome), serum biomarkers, APOE genotype, physical performance, dietary recalls. Results Seventy-five patients completed the follow-up. BMI, on average, decreased 1.7 ± 1.8 kg/m(2) (P = .021), and most of the cognitive tests improved, without difference between the groups. In analysis with linear generalized models, the BMI decrease was associated with improvements in verbal memory, verbal fluency, executive function, and global cognition, after adjustment for education, gender, physical activity, and baseline tests. This association was strongest in younger seniors (for memory and fluency) and in APOE allele ϵ4 carriers (for executive function). Changes in homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, leptin and intake of energy, carbohydrates, and fats were associated with improvement in cognitive tests. Conclusions Intentional weight loss through diet was associated with cognitive improvement in patients with MCI.
Key findings
- Results Seventy-five patients completed the follow-up.
- In analysis with linear generalized models, the BMI decrease was associated with improvements in verbal memory, verbal fluency, executive function, and global cognition, after adjustment for education, gender, physical activity, and baseline tests.
- Changes in homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, leptin and intake of energy, carbohydrates, and fats were associated with improvement in cognitive tests.
- Conclusions Intentional weight loss through diet was associated with cognitive improvement in patients with MCI.
Why it matters
In this trial of obese older adults with mild cognitive impairment, most cognitive tests improved in both the weight-loss counselling group and the usual-care group, with no difference between them. Greater decreases in BMI were associated with improvements in memory, fluency, executive function and global cognition, but the study was not designed to show that weight loss prevents dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Participants40
- Effect size83.7%; 26.3%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism: journal h-index 490 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 40 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 166 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.8 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 8.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 38 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Cíntia Cercato: h-index 25 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Universidade de São Paulo: institution h-index 936 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26713821) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 61 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Horie, N. C., Serrao, V. T., Simon, S. S., Gascon, M. R., Dos Santos, A. X., Zambone, M. A., et al. (2016). Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2315
Vancouver
Horie NC, Serrao VT, Simon SS, Gascon MR, Dos Santos AX, Zambone MA, et al. Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 2016. doi:10.1210/jc.2015-2315. PMID: 26713821.
BibTeX
@article{horie2016-26713821,
author = {Horie, N. C. and Serrao, V. T. and Simon, S. S. and Gascon, M. R. and Dos Santos, A. X. and Zambone, M. A. and Del Bigio de Freitas, M. M. and Cunha-Neto, E. and others},
title = {{Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment}},
journal = {The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1210/jc.2015-2315},
pmid = {26713821},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2315}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Prevention and risk
Also tagged “cognitive-function”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cognitive-function”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.