Background: Obesity, especially visceral obesity, is an established risk factor associated with cognitive impairment (CI). Body roundness index (BRI) is a newer anthropometric measure for assessing body fat distribution. CI, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) pose formidable public health challenges, carrying irreversible health implications and imposing a substantial economic strain on healthcare systems worldwide. This study explored the relationship between BRI and CI in middle-aged and elderly patients with T2D.
Methods: A general statistical description of the study population was conducted, and logistic analyses were used to explore the association between BRI and CI. Sensitivity analyses and restricted cubic spline (RCS) methods were employed to further investigate the association between BRI and CI.
Results: Overall, 1318 participants were included, the prevalence of CI was 44.8% (590/1318). The participants' mean age was 62.2 ± 7.7 years, of whom 48.6% were women. We found a positive relationship between BRI levels and CI, elevated BRI was correlated with higher risk of CI in crude (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19-1.80, p < 0.001) and fully adjusted models (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.01-1.59, p = 0.045) in women. However, BRI was not related to the prevalence of CI in fully adjusted models (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.80-1.37, p = 0.750) in men. Based on further stratified analyses, the results were stable.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BRI was as effective predictor of CI and showed superior predictive accuracy in women than men. In clinical practice, BRI could be used to assess CI among middle-aged and elderly individuals with T2D.
Keywords: Body roundness index; Cognitive impairment; Middle-aged and elderly; Type 2 diabetes.
© 2025. The Author(s).