Sex differences in the associations among grip strength, walking speed, sarcopenic obesity, and mild cognitive impairment: Evidence from the Qingdao (Laoshan) Aging and Cognition Screening (QLACS) Project

BackgroundLow grip strength (LGS), low walking speed (LWS), and related sarcopenia are associated with increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults, but sex-specific differences remain underexplored.ObjectiveTo explore sex-specific associations among grip strength (GS), walking speed (WS), possible sarcopenia, and MCI using baseline data from the Qingdao (Laoshan) Aging and Cognition Screening (QLACS) Project.MethodsMultivariate logistic regression was employed to examine the sex differences, and to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% of confidence intervals (95%CIs), respectively. In addition to LGS, LWS, the effects of possible sarcopenia and possible sarcopenic obesity (pSO) were also analyzed. Additionally, GS and WS were categorized into quartiles to examine associations with MCI in early older adults.ResultsAmong the 2652 older adults (28.1% with MCI), LGS alone was associated with MCI in males (OR = 2.58, p = 0.015), but not in females (OR = 1.81, p = 0.227). After full adjustment for confounding factors, pSO (OR = 9.41, p < 0.001) had an extra adverse effect on MCI compared to possible sarcopenia (OR = 7.41, p < 0.001) in females. Moreover, among early older adults, reduced GS (≤33.25 kg for males, p < 0.001; ≤20.77 kg for females, p = 0.037) and slowed WS (≤1.05 m/s for males, ≤1.0 m/s for females, p < 0.001, respectively), were linked to MCI.ConclusionsSex differences existed in the relationships between grip strength, walking speed, sarcopenic obesity, and MCI, highlighting the importance of sex-targeted interventions.