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Visceral fat is associated with lower executive functioning in adolescents

International Journal of Obesity volume 37, pages 1336–1343 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Obesity, a major risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, is associated with lower cognitive performance from childhood to senescence, especially on tasks of executive function. In the cardiovascular domain, fat stored viscerally rather than elsewhere in the body carries particularly high risk. It is unknown whether this is also true in case of obesity–cognition relationships. The aim of this study was to assess the cross-sectional relationship between visceral fat (VF) and cognitive performance in a community sample of healthy adolescents.

Methods:

In a community-based sample of 983 adolescents (12–18 years old, 480 males), VF was quantified using magnetic resonance imaging, total body fat was measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance, and cognitive performance was assessed using a battery of cognitive tests measuring executive function and memory.

Results:

We found that larger volumes of VF were associated with lower performance on six measures of executive function (P=0.0001–0.02). We also found that the association of VF with executive function was moderated by sex for a subset of measures, such that relationship was present mainly in female subjects and not in male subjects (sex-by-VF interaction: P=0.001–0.04). These relationships were independent of the quantity of total body fat and a number of potential confounders, including age, puberty stage and household income.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that the adverse association between obesity and executive function may be attributed to fat stored viscerally and not to fat stored elsewhere in the body. They also suggest that female subjects compared with male subjects may be more sensitive to the potentially detrimental effects of VF on cognition.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all families who took part in the Saguenay Youth Study and the following individuals for their contributions in designing the protocol, acquiring and analyzing the data: psychometricians (Chantale Belleau, Mélanie Drolet, Catherine Harvey, Stéphane Jean, Hélène Simard, Mélanie Tremblay, Patrick Vachon), ÉCOBES team (Nadine Arbour, Julie Auclair, Marie-Ève Blackburn, Marie-Ève Bouchard, Annie Gautier, Annie Houde, Catherine Lavoie), laboratory technicians (Denise Morin and Nadia Mior), nutritionists (Caroline Benoit and Henriette Langlais), MR team (Sylvie Masson, Suzanne Castonguay, Marie-Josée Morin, Caroline Mérette) and cardio nurses (Jessica Blackburn, Mélanie Gagné, Jeannine Landry, Catherine Lavoie, Lisa Pageau, Réjean Savard, France Tremblay, Jacynthe Tremblay). We also thank Dr Jean Mathieu for the medical follow-up of participants in whom we detected any medically relevant abnormalities; Manon Bernard for designing and managing our online database; Dr Rosanne Aleong for her assistance in coordinating the project; Dr Elizabeth Page-Gould and Dr Melissa Pangelinan for their assistance on statistical analyses and Ms Katie Goodwin for her assistance in semiautomated delineations of visceral fat. TP, ZP and DHS had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. This work was supported by the Saguenay Youth Study project, which is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (TP, ZP), Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec (ZP) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (ZP). DHS is supported by a doctoral grant from the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

Author contributions

Study concept and design: Paus and Pausova; acquisition of data: Leonard, Perron, Richer, Syme, Veillette, Pausova and Paus; analysis and interpretation of data: Schwartz, Paus and Pausova; drafting of the manuscript: Schwartz; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Paus and Pausova; obtained funding: Paus and Pausova; administrative, technical or material support: Leonard, Perron, Richer, Syme, Veillette, Pausova and Paus; and study supervision: Paus and Pausova.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    D H Schwartz & T Paus

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    D H Schwartz & T Paus

  3. Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    G Leonard & T Paus

  4. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada

    M Perron, L Richer & S Veillette

  5. The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    C Syme & Z Pausova

  6. ÉCOBES, Recherche et transfert, Cégep de Jonquière, Jonquière, Quebec, Canada

    S Veillette

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Correspondence to Z Pausova or T Paus.

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Schwartz, D., Leonard, G., Perron, M. et al. Visceral fat is associated with lower executive functioning in adolescents. Int J Obes 37, 1336–1343 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.104

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