Sex differences between mid-life glycaemic traits and brain volume at age 70: a population-based study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Higher HbA1c in mid-to-later life has been associated with smaller whole brain volume (WBV) in older women but not men. We explored whether this association was replicated using different markers of (i) glycaemic health [fasting glucose, insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR), and β-cell function (HOMA-%B)] and (ii) brain structure (white or grey matter volume). 453 participants (51% men) from the 1946 British Birth Cohort had glycaemic measures (at age 60-64) and MRI measures (at age ∼70). In women, higher fasting glucose and insulin resistance at age ∼60 were weakly associated with lower WBV at age ∼70 [eg, fasting glucose: β* = -0.07 (95% CI: -0.13, -0.01), P = .02]. No associations emerged for men for any glycaemic marker. HOMA-%B was not associated with brain outcomes in either sex. Women's later-life brain health may be more vulnerable to midlife hyperglycaemia.
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,292
Funders: Wellcome Trust, Alzheimer's Society, National Institute for Health and Care Research, University College London, Wolfson Foundation, Alzheimer’s Research UK, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK Dementia Research Institute, Centro Singular de Investigación de Galicia, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, California State University, Bakersfield, Medical Research Council, UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre
OpenAlex ID: W4409987052