Associations of Sarcopenia, Handgrip Strength and Calf Circumference with Cognitive Impairment among Chinese Older Adults

Objective: To evaluate the associations of sarcopenia, handgrip strength and calf circumference with cognitive impairment among Chinese older adults. Methods: Totally 2,525 older adults were recruited from the Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study. Cognitive impairment was assessed by the Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination. Handgrip strength was calculated from the means of the right and left hand values. Calf circumference was measured at the site of maximum circumference of the non-dominant leg. The formula developed by Ishii was used to define sarcopenia. Multiple logistic regression was performed to evaluate the associations of sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and calf circumference with cognitive impairment. Results: The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 34.36%. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for cognitive impairment in individuals with sarcopenia was 2.55 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.86–3.50]. Compared with individuals in the first quartile (Q₁) of calf circumference, the adjusted ORs in the second, third, and fourth quartiles (Q₂, Q₃, and Q₄) were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.58–0.96), 0.59 (95% CI: 0.44–0.79), and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.45–0.8), respectively. Compared with individuals in Q₁ of handgrip strength, the adjusted ORs for Q₂, Q₃, and Q₄ were 0.49 (95% CI: 0.38–0.62), 0.31 (95% CI: 0.23–0.41), and 0.30 (95% CI: 0.21–0.44), respectively. Conclusion: Sarcopenia, identified by low handgrip strength and low calf circumference, was positively associated with cognitive impairment.