Home › Research › Long-term cohort studies
Insulin and cognitive function in an elderly population. The Rotterdam Study
Stolk RP, Breteler MM, Ott A, Pols HA, Lamberts SW, Grobbee DE, Hofman A.. Diabetes care, 1997-05-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective To examine the association between insulin and cognitive function in the population-based Rotterdam Study. Research design and methods Serum insulin was measured 2 h after an oral glucose load, while global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination in 5,510 subjects, aged 55 years and over. Results An increase in postload insulin only in women was associated with a decrease in cognitive function (age-adjusted regression coefficient -0.10 per 50 mU/l insulin; 95% CI -0.16 to -0.04).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Stolk, R. P., Breteler, M. M., Ott, A., Pols, H. A., Lamberts, S. W., Grobbee, D. E., et al. (1997). Insulin and cognitive function in an elderly population. The Rotterdam Study. Diabetes care. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.20.5.792
Vancouver
Stolk RP, Breteler MM, Ott A, Pols HA, Lamberts SW, Grobbee DE, et al. Insulin and cognitive function in an elderly population. The Rotterdam Study. Diabetes care. 1997. doi:10.2337/diacare.20.5.792. PMID: 9135944.
BibTeX
@article{stolk1997-9135944,
author = {Stolk, R. P. and Breteler, M. M. and Ott, A. and Pols, H. A. and Lamberts, S. W. and Grobbee, D. E. and Hofman, A.},
title = {{Insulin and cognitive function in an elderly population. The Rotterdam Study}},
journal = {Diabetes care},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.2337/diacare.20.5.792},
pmid = {9135944},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.20.5.792}
}
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Research design and methods Serum insulin was measured 2 h after an oral glucose load, while global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination in 5,510 subjects, aged 55 years and over.
- Results An increase in postload insulin only in women was associated with a decrease in cognitive function (age-adjusted regression coefficient -0.10 per 50 mU/l insulin; 95% CI -0.16 to -0.04).
- The association between insulin resistance, assessed by the ratio of postload insulin over glucose, and cognitive function was not statistically significant.
- Further adjustment for the individual risk factors of serum glucose, BMI, HDL, systolic blood pressure, smoking, or use of estrogen did not change the results.
Why it matters
This study examined the association between insulin levels after a glucose load and cognitive function in an elderly population. It is an observational study of a possible relationship and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
Study details
- Participants5,510
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Diabetes care) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Diabetes Care: journal h-index 509 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 1997 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,510 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 208 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.7 citations a year over 31 year(s) since 1997 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 11 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Albert Hofman: h-index 193 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Utrecht University: institution h-index 1,157 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | PubMed indexes it as a multicentre study |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 9135944) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 54 / 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.
Later studies that cite this one
11 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Long-term cohort studies
Also tagged “controlled”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “controlled”; 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.