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Obesity and impaired cognitive functioning in the elderly: a population-based cross-sectional study (NEDICES)
Benito-León J, Mitchell AJ, Hernández-Gallego J, Bermejo-Pareja F.. European journal of neurology, 2013-01-16
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background and purpose Studies of high body mass index (BMI) and cognition in the elderly have shown conflicting results. While some studies have shown a detrimental effect of high BMI on cognitive function, others have observed beneficial effects on cognition. Our aim was to assess cognitive function in a large population-based sample of overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2) ) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) ) community-dwelling elderly participants compared with their counterparts with BMI Methods One-thousand nine-hundred and forty-nine population-dwelling participants aged ≥ 65 years in central Spain [the Neurological Diseases in Central Spain study (NEDICES)] underwent a neuropsychological assessment, including tests of global cognitive performance [measured with a 37-item version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (37-MMSE)], psychomotor speed, verbal fluency, memory and pre-morbid intelli
Key findings
- While some studies have shown a detrimental effect of high BMI on cognitive function, others have observed beneficial effects on cognition.
- Our aim was to assess cognitive function in a large population-based sample of overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2) ) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) ) community-dwelling elderly participants compared with their counterparts with BMI < 25 kg/m(2) (i.e. controls) living in the same population.
- Results There were 507 with BMI Conclusions In this large population sample, overweight and obese participants performed poorer on formal neuropsychological tests than their counterparts with BMI < 25 kg/m(2) .
- These results support the hypothesis of a detrimental effect of high BMI on impaired cognition in the elderly.
Why it matters
In a population sample of 1,949 people aged 65 or over in central Spain, overweight and obese participants did worse on formal neuropsychological tests than those with a BMI below 25. Earlier studies had disagreed on whether high BMI harms or helps cognition in older age; the authors say these results support a harmful effect, though a cross-sectional study shows an association, not cause.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | European Journal of Neurology: journal h-index 181 (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 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 145 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.7 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 25 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Félix Bermejo‐Pareja: h-index 52 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Leicester: institution h-index 862 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23323838) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Benito-León, J., Mitchell, A. J., Hernández-Gallego, J., & Bermejo-Pareja, F. (2013). Obesity and impaired cognitive functioning in the elderly: a population-based cross-sectional study (NEDICES). European journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.12083
Vancouver
Benito-León J, Mitchell AJ, Hernández-Gallego J, Bermejo-Pareja F. Obesity and impaired cognitive functioning in the elderly: a population-based cross-sectional study (NEDICES). European journal of neurology. 2013. doi:10.1111/ene.12083. PMID: 23323838.
BibTeX
@article{benitoleon2013-23323838,
author = {Benito-León, J. and Mitchell, A. J. and Hernández-Gallego, J. and Bermejo-Pareja, F.},
title = {{Obesity and impaired cognitive functioning in the elderly: a population-based cross-sectional study (NEDICES)}},
journal = {European journal of neurology},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1111/ene.12083},
pmid = {23323838},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.12083}
}
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