Chronic subclinical inflammation (inflammaging) and changes in the predominance of type, destruction and endocrine function of adipose tissue are related in aging. Both contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and cognitive decline. Considering that age-related cognitive decline is characteristic of physiological aging, and that Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) can accentuate the decline in cognitive function and is a risk factor for the development of dementia, it is of interest to study the relationships of cognitive function and anthropometric markers and analyze its difference in older adults with and without diabetes.

To investigate differences in cognitive function and anthropometric indices of older adults with and without DM2.

Sixty-four older adults participated (women = 62), including 20 participants with diabetes (69.32 ± 4.48 years old, 8.3 ± 4.0 years of schooling) and 44 participants without diabetes (67.91 ± 5.40 years of age, 9.0 ± 4.5 years of schooling). The groups were matched by age, education, and physical activity. All participants underwent cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination - MMSE) and anthropometric assessment, including Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Waist-Height Ratio (WHR), Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), Body Adiposity Index (IAC) and Conicity Index (C Index). Based on the analysis of normality (Shapiro-Wilk) the Student's t test and the Mann-Whitney U test were performed for non-parametric variables. The significance level was set at p<0.05.

All participants had normal cognitive performance, considering the cut-off point adjusted for education. Despite the cognitive performance within the normal range, the older adults with DM2 showed lower cognitive performance (26.92 ± 2.26 points) in the MMSE assessment when compared to participants without diabetes (28.09 ± 1.56 points; p < 0.03). No significant differences were found between participants with and without diabetes, respectively, in: BMI (30.09 ± 5.41; 28.46 ± 4.97; p < 0.722); WC (99.62 ± 12.43 cm; 94.56 ± 11.54 cm; p < 0.560); HC (103.83 ± 11.56; 100.16 ± 13.03; p < 0.252); WHR (0.66 ± 0.10; 0.63 ± 0.07; p < 0.078); WHR (0.96 ± 0.05; 0.95 ± 0.72; p < 0.412); IAC (37.51 ± 8.68; 36.52 ± 7.48; p < 0.426); C index (1.35 ± 0.09; 1.33 ± 0.11; p < 0.663).

Cognitively healthy older adults with DM2 showed lower cognitive performance compared to participants without DM2, even without differences in anthropometric markers.

To recognize the influence of DM2 in accelerating age-related cognitive decline is important for the inclusion of preventive cognitive stimulation strategies for the healthier aging of older adults with diabetes