Dra. Troncoso-Pantoja, Claudia

Introduction: The average life expectancy, as well as the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes (T2D), is increasing worldwide. Population-based studies have demonstrated that the duration of T2D has been associated with cognitive impairment. However, despite the high prevalence of T2D and cognitive impairment in Chile, the association between years with T2D and suspicion of cognitive impairment has not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between duration of T2D and suspicion of cognitive impairment in Chilean older adults. Material and Methods: 1,040 older adults aged ≥60 years from the Chilean National Health Survey (2009-2010) were included. Suspicion of cognitive impairment was assessed by the abbreviated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The number of years with T2D was self-reported and categorised into four groups. Poisson Regression analysis was used to assess the association between altered MMSE and the number of years with DM2, adjusted by potential confounders including socio-demographic, lifestyle, adiposity and health-related factors. Results: When the analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic factors, people who had T2D for 15 to 24 and ≥25 years had 2.2-times (95%CI: 1.07; 3.33) and 5.8-times (95%CI: 3.81; 11.0) higher relative risk (RR) of cognitive impairment, compared to those without T2D. When the analyses were additionally adjusted for lifestyle and health-related covariates, the RR for cognitive impairment was 1.76-times (95%CI: 1.02; 2.50) and 4.54-times (95%CI: 2.70; 6.38) higher for those who had T2D for 14-24 years and ≥25 years, respectively. Conclusions: Number of years with T2D was associated with suspicion of cognitive impairment. A longer duration of T2D was associated with a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment in the Chilean older population, independently of confounder factors included in the study.

Background: Walking pace is a well-known indicator of physical capability, but it is also a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is a lack of evidence on the association between walking pace and T2D, specifically, within developing countries such as Chile. Aim: To investigate the association between self-reported walking pace and T2D in the Chilean adult population. Methods: 5520 Chilean participants (aged 15 to 90 years, 52.1% women) from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016–2017 were included in this cross-sectional study. Both walking pace (slow, average, and brisk) and diabetes data were collected through self-reported methods. Fasting blood glucose (reported in mg/dl) and glycosylated haemoglobin A (HbA1c) scores were determined via blood exams. Results: In the unadjusted model, and compared to people who reported a slow walking pace, those with average and brisk walking pace had lower blood glucose levels (β = −7.74 mg/dL (95% CI: −11.08 to −4.40) and β = −11.05 mg/dL (95% CI: −14.36 to −7.75), respectively) and lower HbA1c (β = −0.34% (95% CI: −0.57 to −0.11) and β= −0.72% (95% CI: −0.94 to −0.49)), respectively. After adjusting for sociodemographic, Body Mass Index and lifestyle factors, the association between glycaemia and HbA1c remained only for brisk walkers. Both the average and brisk walker categories had lower odds of T2D (OR: 0.59 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.84) and (OR 0.48 (95% CI: 0.30 to 0.79), respectively). Conclusion: Brisk walkers were associated with lower blood glucose and HbA1c levels. Moreover, average to brisk walking pace also showed a lower risk for T2D.