The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of several commonly occurring disorders that include abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. This study was conducted to determine if, as hypothesized, the presence of the metabolic syndrome is associated with more cognitive decline and greater risk of developing cognitive impairment, and whether this risk is affected by the level of inflammatory markers in the blood.

This 5-year prospective observational study was conducted from 1997 to 2002 at community clinics in two locations. A total of 2632 black and white participants, aged 70 to 79 years, were recruited from the 3075 participants in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (ABC) study conducted during the same period. Participants were screened for presence of metabolic syndrome, cognitive status, inflammatory markers, and a clinic examination was administered, when the study began and at the year 3 and 5 follow-up visits.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 70 to 79
• White or Black
• Community-dwelling in Memphis, TN or Pittsburgh, PA vicinity
• Well-functioning (no difficulty in walking a quarter of a mile or going up 10 steps without resting)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any difficulty with activities of daily living
• Clinical dementia
• Inability to communicate with interviewer
• Intention of moving out of vicinity in the next year
• Active treatment for cancer in the previous 3 years
• Participation in a trial involving a lifestyle intervention