calf circumference, global cognition, non-linear relationship, sex difference, CLHLS, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, RC321-571

BackgroundLimited evidence exists regarding the relationship between calf circumference (CC) and global cognition in the Chinese population, with minimal research exploring potential sex disparities. Our goal was to investigate the correlation between CC and global cognition using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), focusing specifically on sex variations.MethodsThe study participants were older adults who participated in the 2018 CLHLS survey. In this cross-sectional study, we employed multiple linear regression to examine the association between CC and global cognition. Smoothed curve fitting was used to explore the non-linear association between CC and global cognition. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the reliability of the correlation between CC and global cognitive performance.ResultsIn total, 12,102 older adults were included in the study. A positive correlation was found between global cognition and CC (β = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.3-0.54, P < 0.001) after controlling for confounding factors. Further analysis revealed a non-linear relationship between CC and global cognitive performance. In the overall population, the inflection point for CC was 31 cm; a positive relationship was observed between CC and global cognition for CC values