Association between hemoglobin glycation index and cognitive function: Evidence in the elderly

Background Cognitive impairment has been a major public health challenge. This study aims to estimate the association of hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) with cognitive function in U.S. older adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2011–2014) was obtained. Cognitive function was assessed based on the three scales Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease (CERAD), along with a composite Z-score derived from the sum of the Z-scores of these three assessments. We used weighted univariate and multivariate linear regression to estimate the unstandardized β coefficient and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between HGI levels and cognitive function. Results Our study comprised a total of 1,406 subjects. As compared with the second tertile of HGI, the lowest tertile had a lower Z-score β = −0.13 (95% CI: −0.25, −0.01) and CERAD score β = −1.07 (95% CI: −1.93, −0.21) in the fully adjusted model. For the highest tertiles of HGI ( vs. second tertile), Z-score and DSST decreased by 0.16 (95%CI: −0.31, −0.01) and 3.09 (95%CI: −6.00, −0.18), respectively. Females in the lowest HGI tertile ( vs. second HGI tertile) exhibited a decline in cognitive function scores (Z-score, CERAD, AFT; all P < 0.05), while males in the highest tertile of HGI ( vs. second HGI tertile) showed decreased cognitive function scores (Z-score, DSST; all P < 0.05). In addition, Z-score and CERAD scores also decreased (all P < 0.05) in the highest HGI tertile ( vs. second HGI tertile) among non-users of antidiabetic drugs. Conclusion Both lower and higher HGI levels are associated with cognitive decline. Lower HGI is related to poorer learning and memory, while higher HGI is associated with executive function impairment. Future longitudinal studies are need to verify whether changes in HGI levels can be used as an early warning indicator for cognitive decline.