Javascript is not enabled.

Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.

Skip to content
Content starts here
CLOSE ×

Search

Leaving AARP.org Website

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

'Skinny Fat' Status Linked to Greater Cognitive Decline

Study finds that combination of low muscle mass and high fat mass is a predictor of poor executive function and orientation

spinner image A doctor weighing a female patient
Low muscle mass and high fat mass is linked to cognitive decline.
Getty Images

So-called "skinny fat" – when your body's muscle mass and strength are both low but you have a high fat mass despite physical appearance — is linked to weakened cognitive performance in older adults, a study has found. Sarcopenia (loss of muscle tissue as part of the natural aging process) and obesity can both lead to impaired cognitive function, but when combined, there are even more profound effects on the brain's ability to work properly, researchers say.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging, was led by researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Comprehensive Center for Brain Health in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. The 353 participants in the study had an average age of 69; about a third were obese according to body mass index standards. Using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and animal-naming tests to assess participants, researchers say the link between being "skinny fat" and decreased cognitive ability was clearly evident in several cognitive categories.

spinner image Image Alt Attribute

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

"This effect extends to specific cognitive skills: in particular, executive function and orientation," the researchers determined.

More research about the link is required, researchers say.

"Sarcopenia, either alone or in the presence of obesity, can be used in clinical practice to estimate potential risk of cognitive impairment," research authors concluded. There needs to be further investigation, they wrote, into determining whether there is causation in addition to correlation in the relationship between sarcopenic obesity and cognitive loss.

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member?

spinner image membership-card-w-shadow-192x134

Join AARP today for $16 per year. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.