Relationships Between Acrylamide Exposure and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background: Cognitive decline is an important factor affecting the health and well‐being of older adults. Previous studies have shown that acrylamide (AA) caused neurological damage among occupationally exposed workers. However, the effect of AA on cognitive function in general older adults is unclear yet. Therefore, this cross‐sectional study is aimed at examining the relationships between blood markers of AA and cognitive function in the general elderly population. Methods: Four hundred sixty‐seven older adults (230 men and 237 women) aged 60 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles (2013–2014) were included in this study. Logistic regression models were applied to explore the relationships between blood markers of AA and cognitive function. Results: After adjusting for all confounders, at the animal fluency test (AFT) dimension, the odds ratio (OR) for individuals in the highest tertile of hemoglobin (Hb) adducts of acrylamide (HbAA) and its metabolite glycidamide (hemoglobin adducts of glycidamide (HbGA)) were 0.251 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.090, 0.699) and 0.354 (95% CI: 0.164, 0.761), respectively, compared with individuals in the lowest tertile, indicating that both HbAA and HbGA were negatively associated with the decline in cognitive function in dimension AFT. No significant associations were seen on other dimensions. Moreover, HbGA/HbAA had no association with any dimensions of cognitive decline. Conclusion: Collectively, our results suggest that HbAA and HbGA are not positively associated with cognitive decline in the general elderly population and are negatively related to the AFT dimension of cognitive impairment.