Association of Novel Surrogate Markers of Insulin Resistance and the Risk of Dementia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Study

Background/Purpose: Dementia brings huge burden and harm to the caregivers of patients, so early screening and prevention are particularly important. Currently, insulin resistance has been recognized as a risk factor for dementia. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the association between some novel markers of insulin resistance and dementia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to assess data from 811 older adults. Data collection included participant demographics, blood indicators, cognitive function assessment scales, and mental status scales. Data collection began in November 2018 and was completed in December 2019. Some novel markers of insulin resistance were collected by the corresponding calculation formula. We used the independent sample t-test to explore differences in novel markers of insulin resistance between dementia group and no-dementia group. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association between MMSE scores and novel markers of insulin resistance. We also used multiple logistic regression to analyze whether surrogate markers of insulin resistance are contributing factors to dementia. Results: The mean age of all participants was 68.92 (standard deviation 6.623) years. TyG (triglyceride glucose, TyG), TyG-WC (waist circumference, WC), TG/ HDL-C (high density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C), and e-IS (estimate of insulin sensitivity, e-IS) were higher in the dementia group than in the non- dementia group, and the differences were statistically significant. TyG-WC (OR = 1.007,1.003-1.012) and e-IS (OR = 14.307, 2.903-70.510) were found to have a strong association with dementia in the final multiple logistic regression model. Conclusion: In this population study, there is a potential association between TyG-WC, e-IS and the risk of dementia. Future large population and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causal relationship between these markers of insulin resistance and the risk of dementia.