BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The effect of dietary protein intake on muscle strength in older persons is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine whether protein intake is associated with change in muscle strength in older persons. Because systemic inflammation has been associated with protein catabolism, we also evaluated whethera synergistic effect exists between protein intake and inflammatory markers on change in muscle strength using a longitudinal study of community-dwelling persons aged 65 years or older.

DESIGN

Longitudinal.

SETTING

The InCHIANTI Study.

PARTICIPANTS

Five hundred and ninety-eight persons.

MEASUREMENTS

Knee extension strength was measured at baseline (1998–2000) and during 3-year follow-up (2001–2003) using a hand-held dynamometer. Protein intake was assessed using a very detailed food frequency questionnaire. The inflammatory markers included in this study were C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α).

RESULTS

The main effect of protein intake on change in muscle strength was not significant, but we found a significant interaction between protein intake and CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α (p=0.003, p=0.049 and p=0.019, respectively), indicating thata lower protein intake was associated with a greater decline in muscle strength in persons with high levels of inflammatory markers.

CONCLUSION

Selectively in older persons with a pro-inflammatory state, low protein intake was associated with accelerated decline in muscle strength. These results may help to understand the factors contributing to decline in muscle strength and to identify the target population of older persons who may benefit from nutritional interventions aimed at preventing or reducing age-associated muscle impairments and its detrimental consequences.

Human longevity and personality traits are both heritable and are consistently linked at the phenotypic level. We test the hypothesis that candidate genes influencing longevity in lower organisms are associated with variance in the five major dimensions of human personality (measured by the NEO-FFI and IPIP inventories) plus related mood states of anxiety and depression. Seventy single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six brain expressed, longevity candidate genes (AFG3L2, FRAP1, MAT1A, MAT2A, SYNJ1 and SYNJ2) were typed in over one thousand 70-year old participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936 (LBC1936). No SNPs were associated with the personality and psychological distress traits at a Bonferroni corrected level of significance (p < 0.0002), but there was an over-representation of nominally significant (p < 0.05) SNPs in the synaptojanin-2 (SYNJ2) gene associated with agreeableness and symptoms of depression. Eight SNPs which showed nominally significant association across personality measurement instruments were tested in an extremely large replication sample of 17 106 participants. SNP rs350292, in SYNJ2, was significant: the minor allele was associated with an average decrease in NEO agreeableness scale scores of 0.25 points, and 0.67 points in the restricted analysis of elderly cohorts (most aged > 60 years). Because we selected a specific set of longevity genes based on functional genomics findings, further research on other longevity gene candidates is warranted to discover whether they are relevant candidates for personality and psychological distress traits.

A mendelian randomization study based on data from multiple cohorts conducted by Karani Santhanakrishnan Vimaleswaran and colleagues re-examines the causal nature of the relationship between vitamin D levels and obesity.

Background

Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency, and both are areas of active public health concern. We explored the causality and direction of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] using genetic markers as instrumental variables (IVs) in bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods and Findings

We used information from 21 adult cohorts (up to 42,024 participants) with 12 BMI-related SNPs (combined in an allelic score) to produce an instrument for BMI and four SNPs associated with 25(OH)D (combined in two allelic scores, separately for genes encoding its synthesis or metabolism) as an instrument for vitamin D. Regression estimates for the IVs (allele scores) were generated within-study and pooled by meta-analysis to generate summary effects.

Associations between vitamin D scores and BMI were confirmed in the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium (n = 123,864). Each 1 kg/m2 higher BMI was associated with 1.15% lower 25(OH)D (p = 6.52×10−27). The BMI allele score was associated both with BMI (p = 6.30×10−62) and 25(OH)D (−0.06% [95% CI −0.10 to −0.02], p = 0.004) in the cohorts that underwent meta-analysis. The two vitamin D allele scores were strongly associated with 25(OH)D (p≤8.07×10−57 for both scores) but not with BMI (synthesis score, p = 0.88; metabolism score, p = 0.08) in the meta-analysis. A 10% higher genetically instrumented BMI was associated with 4.2% lower 25(OH)D concentrations (IV ratio: −4.2 [95% CI −7.1 to −1.3], p = 0.005). No association was seen for genetically instrumented 25(OH)D with BMI, a finding that was confirmed using data from the GIANT consortium (p≥0.57 for both vitamin D scores).

Conclusions

On the basis of a bi-directional genetic approach that limits confounding, our study suggests that a higher BMI leads to lower 25(OH)D, while any effects of lower 25(OH)D increasing BMI are likely to be small. Population level interventions to reduce BMI are expected to decrease the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.

Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary

Editors' Summary

Background

Obesity—having an unhealthy amount of body fat—is increasing worldwide. In the US, for example, a third of the adult population is now obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI, an indicator of body fat calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared) of more than 30.0 kg/m2. Although there is a genetic contribution to obesity, people generally become obese by consuming food and drink that contains more energy than they need for their daily activities. Thus, obesity can be prevented by having a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Compared to people with a healthy weight, obese individuals have an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and tend to die younger. They also have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, another increasingly common public health concern. Vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones as well as other functions, is made in the skin after exposure to sunlight but can also be obtained through the diet and through supplements.

Why Was This Study Done?

Observational studies cannot prove that obesity causes vitamin D deficiency because obese individuals may share other characteristics that reduce their circulating 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels (referred to as confounding). Moreover, observational studies cannot indicate whether the larger vitamin D storage capacity of obese individuals (vitamin D is stored in fatty tissues) lowers their 25(OH)D levels or whether 25(OH)D levels influence fat accumulation (reverse causation). If obesity causes vitamin D deficiency, monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency might alleviate some of the adverse health effects of obesity. Conversely, if low vitamin D levels cause obesity, encouraging people to take vitamin D supplements might help to control the obesity epidemic. Here, the researchers use bi-directional “Mendelian randomization” to examine the direction and causality of the relationship between BMI and 25(OH)D. In Mendelian randomization, causality is inferred from associations between genetic variants that mimic the influence of a modifiable environmental exposure and the outcome of interest. Because gene variants do not change over time and are inherited randomly, they are not prone to confounding and are free from reverse causation. Thus, if a lower vitamin D status leads to obesity, genetic variants associated with lower 25(OH)D concentrations should be associated with higher BMI, and if obesity leads to a lower vitamin D status, then genetic variants associated with higher BMI should be associated with lower 25(OH)D concentrations.

What Did the Researchers Do and Find?

The researchers created a “BMI allele score” based on 12 BMI-related gene variants and two “25(OH)D allele scores,” which are based on gene variants that affect either 25(OH)D synthesis or breakdown. Using information on up to 42,024 participants from 21 studies, the researchers showed that the BMI allele score was associated with both BMI and with 25(OH)D levels among the study participants. Based on this information, they calculated that each 10% increase in BMI will lead to a 4.2% decrease in 25(OH)D concentrations. By contrast, although both 25(OH)D allele scores were strongly associated with 25(OH)D levels, neither score was associated with BMI. This lack of an association between 25(OH)D allele scores and obesity was confirmed using data from more than 100,000 individuals involved in 46 studies that has been collected by the GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits) consortium.

What Do These Findings Mean?

These findings suggest that a higher BMI leads to a lower vitamin D status whereas any effects of low vitamin D status on BMI are likely to be small. That is, these findings provide evidence for obesity as a causal factor in the development of vitamin D deficiency but not for vitamin D deficiency as a causal factor in the development of obesity. These findings suggest that population-level interventions to reduce obesity should lead to a reduction in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and highlight the importance of monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency as a means of alleviating the adverse influences of obesity on health.

Additional Information

Please access these Web sites via the online version of this summary at http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001383.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on all aspects of overweight and obesity (in English and Spanish); a data brief provides information about the vitamin D status of the US population

The World Health Organization provides information on obesity (in several languages)

The UK National Health Service Choices website provides detailed information about obesity and a link to a personal story about losing weight; it also provides information about vitamin D

The International Obesity Taskforce provides information about the global obesity epidemic

The US Department of Agriculture's ChooseMyPlate.gov website provides a personal healthy eating plan; the Weight-control Information Network is an information service provided for the general public and health professionals by the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (in English and Spanish)

The US Office of Dietary Supplements provides information about vitamin D (in English and Spanish)

MedlinePlus has links to further information about obesity and about vitamin D (in English and Spanish)

Wikipedia has a page on Mendelian randomization (note: Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit; available in several languages)

Overview and details of the collaborative large-scale genetic association study (D-CarDia) provide information about vitamin D and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and related traits

Epidemiologic studies of hearing loss in adults have demonstrated that the odds of hearing loss are substantially lower in black than in white individuals. The basis of this association is unknown. We hypothesized that skin pigmentation as a marker of melanocytic functioning mediates this observed association and that skin pigmentation is associated with hearing loss independent of race/ethnicity. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1,258 adults (20–59 years) in the 2003–2004 cycle of the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey who had assessment of Fitzpatrick skin type and pure-tone audiometric testing. Audiometric thresholds in the worse hearing ear were used to calculate speech- (0.5–4 kHz) and high-frequency (3–8 kHz) pure-tone averages (PTA). Regression models were stratified by Fitzpatrick skin type or race/ethnicity to examine the association of each factor with hearing loss independent of the other. Models were adjusted for potential confounders (demographic, medical, and noise exposure covariates). Among all participants, race/ethnicity was associated with hearing thresholds (black participants with the best hearing followed by Hispanics and then white individuals), but these associations were not significant in analyses stratified by skin color. In contrast, in race-stratified analyses, darker-skinned Hispanics had better hearing than lighter-skinned Hispanics by an average of −2.5 dB hearing level (HL; 95% CI, −4.8 to −0.2) and −3.1 dB HL (95% CI, −5.3 to −0.8) for speech and high-frequency PTA, respectively. Associations between skin color and hearing loss were not significant in white and black participants. Our results demonstrate that skin pigmentation is independently associated with hearing loss in Hispanics and suggest that skin pigmentation as a marker of melanocytic functioning may mediate the strong association observed between race/ethnicity and hearing loss.

OBJECTIVES

Frailty is a dynamic geriatric syndrome characterized by decreased reserve and increased vulnerability. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in older adults are associated with many physiological changes that portend frailty and its consequences. We aimed to assess whether serum 25(OH)D concentrations relate to transitions between the states of robustness, prefrailty, and frailty, and to mortality.

DESIGN, SETTING, and PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged≥65 years (N=1,155) enrolled in Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI), a prospective cohort study in Tuscany, Italy.

MEASUREMENTS

Serum 25(OH)D concentrations measured at baseline and frailty state (robust, prefrail, frail) assessed at baseline and at three and six years post enrollment. Vital status was also determined at three and six years post enrollment.

RESULTS

The median (interquartile range) 25(OH)D concentration was 16.0 (10.4—25.6) ng/mL (multiply by 2.496 to convert to nmol/L). Prefrail participants with 25(OH)D<20 ng/mL were 8.9% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 2.5—15.2%) more likely to die, 3.0% (95%CI, −5.6—14.6%) more likely to become frail, and 7.7% (95%CI, −3.5—18.7%) less likely to become robust than prefrail participants with 25(OH)D≥20 ng/mL. Among prefrail participants, each 5 ng/mL decrement of continuous 25(OH)D was associated with 1.46 times higher odds of dying (95%CI, 1.18—2.07) and 1.13 higher odds of incident frailty (95%CI, 0.90—1.39) versus recovery of robustness. Transitions from robustness or frailty were not associated with 25(OH)D.

CONCLUSION

Results provide evidence that prefrailty is an “at risk” state from which older adults with high 25(OH)D are more likely to recover than to decline. However, high 25(OH)D was not associated with recovery from frailty. Thus, 25(OH)D should be investigated as a potential therapy to treat prefrailty and prevent further decline.

Personality traits and cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults are reliable predictors of health and longevity. We examined the association between personality traits and energy expenditure at rest (basal metabolic rate) and during normal and maximal sustained walking. Personality traits and oxygen (VO2) consumption were assessed in 642 participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results indicate that personality traits were mostly unrelated to resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure at normal walking pace. However, those who scored lower on neuroticism (r =  −0.12) and higher on extraversion (r = 0.11), openness (r = 0.13), and conscientiousness (r = 0.09) had significantly higher energy expenditure at peak walking pace. In addition to greater aerobic capacity, individuals with a more resilient personality profile walked faster and were more efficient in that they required less energy per meter walked. The associations between personality and energy expenditure were not moderated by age or sex, but were in part explained by the proportion of fat mass. In conclusion, differences in personality may matter the most during more challenging activities that require cardiorespiratory fitness. These findings suggest potential pathways that link personality to health outcomes, such as obesity and longevity.

Recent genetic and proteomic studies demonstrate that clusterin/apolipoprotein-J is associated with risk, pathology, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our main aim was to examine associations between plasma clusterin concentration and longitudinal changes in brain volume in normal aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A secondary objective was to examine associations between peripheral concentration of clusterin and its concentration in the brain within regions that undergo neuropathological changes in AD. Non-demented individuals (N = 139; mean baseline age 70.5 years) received annual volumetric MRI (912 MRI scans in total) over a mean six-year interval. Sixteen participants (92 MRI scans in total) were diagnosed during the course of the study with amnestic MCI. Clusterin concentration was assayed by ELISA in plasma samples collected within a year of the baseline MRI. Mixed effects regression models investigated whether plasma clusterin concentration was associated with rates of brain atrophy for control and MCI groups and whether these associations differed between groups. In a separate autopsy sample of individuals with AD (N=17) and healthy controls (N=4), we examined the association between antemortem clusterin concentration in plasma and postmortem levels in the superior temporal gyrus, hippocampus and cerebellum. The associations of plasma clusterin concentration with rates of change in brain volume were significantly different between MCI and control groups in several volumes including whole brain, ventricular CSF, temporal gray matter as well as parahippocampal, superior temporal and cingulate gyri. Within the MCI but not control group, higher baseline concentration of plasma clusterin was associated with slower rates of brain atrophy in these regions. In the combined autopsy sample of AD and control cases, representing a range of severity in AD pathology, we observed a significant association between clusterin concentration in the plasma and that in the superior temporal gyrus. Our findings suggest that clusterin, a plasma protein with roles in amyloid clearance, complement inhibition and apoptosis, is associated with rate of brain atrophy in MCI. Furthermore, peripheral concentration of clusterin also appears to reflect its concentration within brain regions vulnerable to AD pathology. These findings in combination suggest an influence of this multi-functional protein on early stages of progression in AD pathology.

Background.

Diabetes is associated with decreased muscle mass. The effect of higher levels of glucose and insulin on muscle mass has not been studied in individuals without diabetes. We sought to determine the relationship of insulin and glucose measurements from the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with muscle mass in persons without diabetes.

Methods.

We analyzed data from 587 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (mean age 67.3 years, range 26–95 years) without diabetes who underwent a 2-hour OGTT, including glucose and insulin measurements taken every 20 minutes and assessment of midthigh muscle cross-sectional area by computed tomography, taken as a proxy measure of muscle mass. Linear regression models and Bayesian model averaging were used to explore the independent cross-sectional association of various OGTT-derived measures and midthigh muscle cross-sectional area, independent of confounders.

Results.

Individually, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, OGTT glucose (40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 minutes), OGTT insulin (20, 60, 80, 100, and 120 minutes), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, integrated glucose area, and integrated insulin area were inversely associated, and the Matsuda index was positively associated, with the midthigh muscle cross-sectional area (standardized to body weight) after adjustment for age, sex, race, height, physical activity, and peroneal motor nerve conduction velocity (all ps <.05). When considered together, the Matsuda index and fasting glucose were the strongest predictors of lower midthigh muscle cross-sectional area after covariate adjustment.

Conclusions.

Higher fasting and OGTT values of both glucose and insulin are associated with lower muscle mass. Longitudinal studies are needed to verify whether individuals free of diabetes that have higher glucose and insulin during an OGTT are at risk for accelerated muscle mass decline with aging.

Background.

Theoretical definitions of sarcopenia traditionally emphasize age-related loss of muscle strength; however, most analyses of the association between strength and mobility examine strength at a single time point. This study sought to identify sex-specific cutpoints for muscle strength and power (at one time point) and 3-year changes in strength and power that would maximize prediction of 3-year mobility decline.

Methods.

Longitudinal analysis of 934 adults aged ≥65 years enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti study was conducted. Grip strength, knee extension strength, and lower extremity power were measured at baseline and 3 years postenrollment. Mobility function (gait speed and self-reported mobility disability) was measured at 3 and 6 years postenrollment. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to predict mobility decline from Years 3 to 6.

Results.

Men with knee extension strength <19.2 kg and grip strength <39.0 kg had clinically meaningful declines in gait speed of .24 m/s. Furthermore, men with power <105 W were nearly nine times more likely to develop incident mobility disability (likelihood ratio = 8.68; 95% confidence interval = 3.91, 19.44). Among women, knee extension strength <18.0 kg was associated with a minimal gait speed decline of 0.06 m/s, and women with leg power <64 W were three times more likely to develop incident mobility disability (likelihood ratio = 3.01; 95% confidence interval = 1.79, 5.08). Three-year changes in strength and power did not predict mobility decline in either sex.

Conclusions.

Findings suggest that strength and power measured at one time point are more predictive of mobility decline than 3-year changes and that low strength and power are particularly powerful risk factors in men.

Amyloid-β plaques (Aβ) are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), begin deposition decades before the incipient disease, and are thought to be associated with neuronal loss, brain atrophy and cognitive impairment. We examine associations between 11C-PiB-PET measurement of Aβ burden and brain volume changes in the preceding years in 57 non-demented individuals (age 64-86; M = 78.7). Participants were prospectively followed through the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, with up to 10 consecutive MRI scans (M = 8.1) and an 11C-PiB scan approximately 10 years after the initial MRI. Linear mixed effects models were used to determine whether mean cortical 11C-PiB distribution volume ratios, estimated by fitting a reference tissue model to the measured time activity curves, were associated with longitudinal regional brain volume changes of the whole brain, ventricular CSF, frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital white and gray matter, the hippocampus, orbito-frontal cortex, and the precuneus. Despite significant longitudinal declines in the volumes of all investigated regions (p < 0.05), no associations were detected between current Aβ burden and regional brain volume decline trajectories in the preceding years, nor did the regional volume trajectories differ between those with highest and lowest Aβ burden. Consistent with a threshold model of disease, our findings suggest that Aβ load does not seem to affect brain volume changes in individuals without dementia.

In immunocompetent individuals, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is thought to persist in a latent state in monocytes and myeloid progenitor cells, establishing a lifelong infection. In CMV-seropositive older adults, aging has been associated with both expansion of CMV pp65495–503-specific CD8+ T cell clones and shrinkage of the T cell repertoire that characterize T cell immunosenescence. In fact it has been suggested that chronic CMV infection is a driving force in age-related T cell immunosenescence. In older adults, chronic CMV infection is conventionally diagnosed by positive IgG serology which does not distinguish between past and persistent infections. To better define the relationship between chronic CMV infection and expansion of CMV pp65495–503-specific CD8+ T cells, we directly assessed CMV viral DNA in monocyte-enriched peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 16 HLA-A2-positive elderly volunteers (mean age = 83 years). While all participants had positive CMV IgG serology by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, only nine (56%) had detectable CMV DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction. These nine individuals had significantly higher percentages of CMV pp65495–503 tetramer-positive CD8+ T cells (median = 1.3%) than those without detectable CMV DNA (median = 0.1%; p < 0.001). Absolute CMV IgG antibody titers did not differ between these two groups (median = 54.6 vs 44.2 EU/ml, respectively, p = 0.4). CMV IgM titers were negative for all 16 participants, suggesting that recent primary CMV infection was unlikely. These results demonstrate a strong association between the presence of CMV DNA in peripheral monocytes and the expansion of CD8+ T cells specific for the CMV immunodominant epitope pp65495–503. Although the sample size in this study is relatively small, these findings provide initial evidence suggesting the heterogeneity of CMV IgG-seropositive older adult population and CMV viral DNA detection in peripheral monocytes as an informative tool to better understand the relationship between chronic CMV infection and T cell immunosenescence.

Major sources of flavonoids were identified, and mean intakes over several decades were reported, among 1638 participants (mean age 62.1 +/− 16.0 y), of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Dietary data were collected using 7-day diet records during three time periods (1980s, 1990s and 2000-present), and the USDA flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and isoflavone databases were used to estimate dietary flavonoid intakes. Dietary intake data were divided according to decade of visit. Foods were matched with appropriate foods in the USDA databases. Mixed dishes were disaggregated to individual foods and a similar procedure was followed. Total flavonoids and five sub-classes of flavonoids, including flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanidins, were computed by summing appropriate compounds. The median intakes of flavonoids and the contributions of various foods to intakes were calculated by decade. Age and sex adjusted mean (SE) daily intakes of flavonoids increased from 250 (7.4) in the 1980s to 280 (9.9) mg in the 2000s. Top contributors of flavonoids were tea, apple/pear (and juices), citrus fruits (and juices), peaches, plums, grapes, nectarines (and juices) and chocolate. The data show an increase in the consumption of flavonoids over the three decades, which appears to be related to intake of fruit.

Objective

We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between plasma carotenoids and depressive symptoms over a six-year follow-up in older persons.

Methods and Materials

This research is part of the InCHIANTI Study, a prospective population-based study of older persons in Tuscany, Italy. The sample for this analysis included 958 women and men aged 65 years and older. Plasma total carotenoids were assessed at baseline. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and at the 3- and 6-year follow-up using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Depressed mood was defined as CES-D≥20.

Results

At baseline, higher total carotenoids level were associated with lower probability of depressed mood (OR=0.82, 95%CI=0.68–0.99, p=0.04) after adjustment for sociodemographic, health and inflammation. After the exclusion of participants with baseline depressed mood and use of antidepressants, higher total carotenoids level were associated with lower risk of incident depressed mood (OR=0.72, 95%CI=0.52–0.99, p=0.04) at 6-year follow-up, after adjustment for confounders plus baseline CES-D. Inflammatory marker Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist partially mediated this association.

Discussion

Low plasma concentrations of carotenoids are associated with depressive symptoms and predict the development of new depressive symptoms in older persons. Understanding the mechanism of this association may reveal potential targets for prevention and treatment.

Background

Statin use and serum cholesterol reduction have been proposed as preventions for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods

1,604 and 1,345 eligible participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) were followed after age 50 for a median time of around 25 years, to examine incidence of dementia (n=259) and MCI (n=138), respectively. Statin use (ever-use and time-dependent use), total cholesterol levels (TC; first-visit and time-dependent), TC change trajectory from first-visit, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C):TC ratio (first-visit and time-dependent) were main exposures of interest. Cox proportional hazards models were used.

Results

Participants with incident dementia had higher first-visit TC compared to participants who remained free of dementia and MCI, while first-visit TC was higher among statin ever-users compared to never-users (age-unadjusted associations). Statin users had two to three-fold lower risk of developing dementia (HR=0.41; 95% CI: 0.18–0.92), but not MCI, when considering time-dependent “statin use” with propensity score model adjustment. This association remained significant independently of serum cholesterol exposures. An elevated first-visit TC was associated with reduced MCI risk (Upper quartile (Q4) vs. Q1: HR=0.51; 95% CI=0.29–0.90). Compared to the lowest quartile (Q1: 0.00–0.19), HDL-C:TC (time-dependent) in (Q2: 0.19–0.24) was associated with reduced MCI risk (HR=0.53; 95%CI: 0.30–0.94). Among men only, TC decline from first-visit was significantly associated with increased dementia risk (HR=4.21; 95% CI: 1.28–13.85).

Conclusions

Statins may have multifactorial effects on dementia but not MCI risk. Future interventions may be warranted and research should focus on optimal serum TC, HDL-C:TC ratio and TC change trajectories.

Objective

To determine the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function as assessed with a standardized neurocognitive battery. We hypothesized a priori that greater hearing loss is associated with lower cognitive test scores on tests of memory and executive function.

Methods

A cross-sectional cohort of 347 participants ≥ 55 years in the BLSA without mild cognitive impairment or dementia had audiometric and cognitive testing performed in 1990–1994. Hearing loss was defined by an average of hearing thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better-hearing ear. Cognitive testing consisted of a standardized neurocognitive battery incorporating tests of mental status, memory, executive function, processing speed, and verbal function. Regression models were used to examine the association between hearing loss and cognition while adjusting for confounders.

Results

Greater hearing loss was significantly associated with lower scores on measures of mental status (Mini-Mental State Exam), memory (Free Recall), and executive function (Stroop Mixed, Trail Making B). These results were robust to analyses accounting for potential confounders, non-linear effects of age, and exclusion of individuals with severe hearing loss. The reduction in cognitive performance associated with a 25 dB hearing loss was equivalent to the reduction associated with an age difference of 6.8 years.

Conclusion

Hearing loss is independently associated with lower scores on tests of memory and executive function. Further research examining the longitudinal association of hearing loss with cognitive functioning is needed to confirm these cross-sectional findings.

Purpose.

To determine if glaucoma and/or age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are associated with disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).

Methods.

Glaucoma subjects (n = 84) with bilateral visual field (VF) loss and AMD subjects (n = 47) with bilateral or severe unilateral visual acuity (VA) loss were compared with 60 subjects with normal vision (controls). Subjects completed a standard IADL disability questionnaire, with disability defined as an inability to perform one or more IADLs unassisted.

Results.

Disability in one or more IADLs was present in 18.3% of controls as compared with 25.0% of glaucoma subjects (P = 0.34) and 44.7% of AMD subjects (P = 0.003). The specific IADL disabilities occurring more frequently in both AMD and glaucoma subjects were preparing meals, grocery shopping, and out-of-home travelling (P < 0.05 for both).

In multivariate logistic regression models run adjusting for age, sex, mental status, comorbidity, and years of education, AMD (odds ratio [OR] = 3.4, P = 0.02) but not glaucoma (OR = 1.4, P = 0.45) was associated with IADL disability. However, among glaucoma and control patients, the odds of IADL disability increased 1.6-fold with every 5 dB of VF loss in the better-seeing eye (P = 0.001). Additionally, severe glaucoma subjects (better-eye MD worse than −13.5 dB) had higher odds of IADL disability (OR = 4.2, P = 0.02). Among AMD and control subjects, every Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study line of worse acuity was associated with a greater likelihood of IADL disability (OR = 1.3).

Conclusions.

VA loss in AMD and severe VF loss in glaucoma are associated with self-reported difficulties with IADLs. These limitations become more likely with increasing magnitude of VA or VF loss.

Difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) were evaluated using a structured questionnaire. Patients with more severe levels of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration were more likely to have IADL disability than controls with normal vision.

Objective

Although fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, the relationship between FGF23 and cardiovascular disease has not been well characterized in the general population. The aim of the study was to determine whether serum FGF23 is independently associated with cardiovascular disease in older community-dwelling women.

Design and methods

A cross-sectional design was used to examine the relationship between serum FGF23 and cardiovascular disease. The subjects consisted of a population-based sample of 659 women, aged 70–79 years, who participated in the Women’s Health and Aging Studies in Baltimore, Maryland. Prevalent cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease) was assessed through diagnostic algorithms and physician adjudication.

Results

Of the 659 women, 185 (28.1%) had cardiovascular disease. Median (25th, 75th percentile) intact serum FGF23 was 34.6 (25.2, 46.2) pg/mL. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the lowest, middle, and highest tertile of serum FGF23 was 22.6%, 24.9%, and 36.7%, respectively (P = 0.002). Serum log FGF23 was associated with cardiovascular disease (Odds Ratio per 1 SD increase = 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval 1.17, 1.30; P <0.0001) in a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for age, race, smoking, education, body mass index, cognition, diabetes, hypertension, physical activity, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and renal function.

Conclusion

Elevated serum FGF23 concentrations are independently associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease in older community-dwelling women. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential biological mechanisms by which FGF23 may be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether plasma klotho, a recently discovered hormone that has been implicated in atherosclerosis, is related to prevalent cardiovascular disease in adults.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Population-based sample of adults residing in Tuscany, Italy.

PARTICIPANTS

One thousand and twenty-three men and women, aged 24–102, participating in the Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI) study.

MEASUREMENTS

Anthropometric measures, plasma klotho, fasting plasma total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, C-reactive protein. Clinical measures: medical assessment, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between plasma klotho and prevalent cardiovascular disease.

RESULTS

Of 1023 participants, 259 (25.3%) had cardiovascular disease. Median (25th, 75th percentile) plasma klotho concentrations were 676 (530, 819) pg/mL. Plasma klotho was correlated with age (r = −0.14, P <0.0001), HDL cholesterol (r = 0.11, P = 0.0004), C-reactive protein (r = −0.10, P = 0.0008), but not systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, or renal function. Plasma klotho age-adjusted geometric means (95% Confidence Interval [C.I.]) were 626 (601, 658) in participants with cardiovascular disease and 671 (652, 692) pg/mL in those without cardiovascular disease (P = 0.0001). Adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (age, sex, smoking, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and diabetes), log plasma klotho was associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease (Odds Ratio per 1 standard deviation increase = 0.85, 95% C.I. 0.72, 0.99).

CONCLUSION

In community-dwelling adults, higher plasma klotho concentrations are independently associated with a lower likelihood of having cardiovascular disease.

Context

Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In experimental models of MI, erythropoietin reduces infarct size and improves left ventricular (LV) function.

Objective

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single intravenous bolus of epoetin alfa in patients with STEMI.

Design, Setting, and Patients

Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a dose-escalation safety phase and a single-dose (60,000 units of epoetin alfa) efficacy phase involving 222 patients with STEMI who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as a primary or rescue reperfusion strategy.

Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with intravenous epoetin alfa or matching saline placebo administered within 4 hours of reperfusion.

Main Outcome Measure

Infarct size, expressed as a percentage of LV mass, assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging 2–6 days after study medication administration.

Results

In the efficacy cohort (n=138), infarct size did not differ between groups at either 2–6 days (15.8±10.3 vs. 15.0±10.0, P=.666) or 12±2 weeks (10.6±8.6 vs. 10.4±7.6, P=.886). Left ventricular ejection fraction also did not differ between groups at either the early (48.2±9.1 vs. 48.9±8.7, P=.671) or late (52.5±9.3 vs. 52.0±8.8, P=.760) timepoints. In pre-specified analyses of patients aged ≥70 years (n=21), mean infarct size within the first week was larger in the epoetin alfa arm than in the placebo group (19.9±9.9 vs.11.7±7.2, P=.026). Patients who received epoetin alfa had a higher incidence of the composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or stent thrombosis (4.0% vs. 0.0%, P=.042), and a higher incidence of serious adverse events (20.0% vs. 10.3%, P=.052).

Conclusions

In STEMI patients successfully reperfused with primary or rescue PCI, a single intravenous bolus of epoetin alfa did not reduce infarct size and was associated with higher rates of adverse cardiovascular events. Furthermore, it may be associated with increased infarct size in older patients.

Trial Registration

clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00378352.

Introduction

Declining muscle strength is a core feature of aging. Several mechanisms have been postulated, including CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-beta (C/EBP-β) triggered macrophage-mediated muscle fibre regeneration after micro-injury, evidenced in a mouse model. We aimed to identify in-vivo circulating leukocyte gene expression changes associated with muscle strength in the human adult population.

Methods

We undertook a genome wide expression microarray screen, using peripheral blood RNA samples from InCHIANTI study participants (ages 30–104 yrs). Logged expression intensities were regressed with muscle strength using models adjusted for multiple confounders. Key results were validated by real-time PCR. The Short Physical Performance Battery score (SPPB) tested walk speed, chair stand and balance.

Results

CEBPB expression levels were associated with muscle strength (beta coefficient = 0.20560, p=1.03*10−6, false discovery rate q=0.014). The estimated handgrip strength in 70 year old men in the lowest CEBPB expression tertile was 35.2 kg compared to 41.2 kg in the top tertile. CEBPB expression was also associated with hip, knee, ankle and shoulder strength and the SPPB performance score (p=0.018). Near study-wide associations were also noted for TGFB3 (p=3.4*10−5, q=0.12) and CEBPD expression (p=9.67E−5, q=0.18) but not for CEBPA expression.

Conclusions

We report here a novel finding that raised CEBPB expression in circulating leukocyte derived RNA samples in-vivo is associated with greater muscle strength and better physical performance in humans. This association may be consistent with mouse model evidence of CEBPB triggered muscle repair: if this mechanism is confirmed it may provide a target for intervention to protect and enhance aging muscle.

Objective

The mechanisms that underlie the association between abdominal obesity and depression risk in older persons are not well known, but the “leptin hypothesis” of depression suggests that leptin resistance may be involved in mood regulation. We tested whether high circulatory concentration of leptin, alone and in combination with visceral adiposity, is associated with onset of depression in a sample of older persons.

Method

Participants were 1220 men and 1282 women aged 70–79 years, enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition study. Plasma concentration of leptin and abdominal visceral fat ascertained by computed tomography were assessed at baseline (April 1997 – June 1998). Onset of depression was defined as a Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale 10-item score ≥ 10 and/or new antidepressant medication use at any annual visit over a 5-year follow-up.

Results

Higher leptin was associated with the risk of depression onset in men with high visceral fat (HR=1.25,95%CI=1.06–1.46, p=0.01) but not in those with normal visceral fat (HR=0.98,95%CI=0.80–1.19, p=0.80) (leptin*visceral fat p=0.04). No interaction between leptin and visceral fat was detected in the analysis focusing on women (p=0.90).

Conclusion

In older men, high leptin was associated with an increased onset of depressive symptoms especially in the presence of abdominal obesity, suggesting that underlying leptin resistance may play a role in this link. Differences in visceral fat levels and metabolic consequences may explain the absence of this association in women. These findings suggest a potential biological link between depression, obesity and their joint association with negative health outcomes.