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58/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 58 out of 100. Long-term cohort studies

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

Objectives To examine the effect of late-life body mass index (BMI) and rapid weight loss on incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Design Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set, including 34 past and current National Institute on Aging-funded AD Centers across the United States.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Moderate

This is a follow-up (cohort) study of 5,061 participants. This study examined whether late-life body mass index and rapid weight loss affect the risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Reported effect size: OR=0.977; OR=0.962.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Bell, S. P., Liu, D., Samuels, L. R., Shah, A. S., Gifford, K. A., Hohman, T. J., et al. (2017). Late-Life Body Mass Index, Rapid Weight Loss, Apolipoprotein E ε4 and the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia. The journal of nutrition, health & aging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0906-3

Vancouver

Bell SP, Liu D, Samuels LR, Shah AS, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, et al. Late-Life Body Mass Index, Rapid Weight Loss, Apolipoprotein E ε4 and the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia. The journal of nutrition, health & aging. 2017. doi:10.1007/s12603-017-0906-3. PMID: 29188888.

BibTeX

@article{bell2017-29188888,
  author  = {Bell, S. P. and Liu, D. and Samuels, L. R. and Shah, A. S. and Gifford, K. A. and Hohman, T. J. and Jefferson, A. L.},
  title   = {{Late-Life Body Mass Index, Rapid Weight Loss, Apolipoprotein E ε4 and the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia}},
  journal = {The journal of nutrition, health \& aging},
  year    = {2017},
  doi     = {10.1007/s12603-017-0906-3},
  pmid    = {29188888},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0906-3}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: this is a follow-up (cohort) study. People are observed over time and not assigned to anything, so an association can reflect other differences between groups. Look at how long follow-up lasted, how many dropped out, and whether the authors adjusted for age, education and other health conditions.
Size: the record lists 5,061 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record reports “OR=0.977; OR=0.962”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded moderate. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Moderate means the abstract mentions a cohort, case-control or longitudinal design. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

Design Prospective longitudinal cohort study.
Setting National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set, including 34 past and current National Institute on Aging-funded AD Centers across the United States.
Participants 6940 older adults (n=5061 normal cognition [NC]; n=1879 MCI).
Measurements BMI (kg/m2) and modified Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (FSRP) score (sex, age, systolic blood pressure, anti-hypertension medication, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, prevalent cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation) were assessed at baseline.

Why it matters

This study examined whether late-life body mass index and rapid weight loss affect the risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. It looks at risk factors over time and does not show that any treatment or prevention works.

Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants5,061
Effect sizeOR=0.977; OR=0.962
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 58/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journal of nutrition, health & aging)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	The journal of nutrition health & aging: journal h-index 122 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A cohort study following people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	3 / 4	5,061 participants
Effect reported	3 / 3	Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	4 / 7	Cited 64 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	2 / 5	5.8 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 3.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	1 / 6	Cited by 1 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 21 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Angela Lee Jefferson: h-index 60 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Vanderbilt University: institution h-index 1,199 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29188888)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	58 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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