title: Handgrip strength and cognitive decline in older Mexican Americans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive decline and dementia are associated with disability and premature death in old age. We examined whether low handgrip strength predicts subsequent cognitive decline in older Mexican Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  We worked with a 7-year prospective cohort of 2160 noninstitutionalized Mexican Americans aged 65 years or older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) who had a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score > or = 21 at baseline. Measures included: (i) sociodemographic factors (age, gender, and education), handgrip strength, and near and distant visual impairment from baseline interview; and (ii) MMSE, body mass index (BMI), and medical conditions (stroke, heart attack, diabetes, depression, and hypertension) from four waves of data collection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using general linear mixed models, we found a significant trend with scores in the lowest quartile of handgrip strength at baseline to be associated with lower MMSE scores over time (estimate = -1.28, standard error = 0.16; p <.0001). There was a significant handgrip Strength-by-Time interaction with MMSE scores. Participants in the lowest handgrip strength quartile had a greater cognitive decline over time (estimate = -0.26, standard error = 0.07; p <.001) than did those participants in the highest quartile. This association remained statistically significant after controlling for potential confounding factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older Mexican Americans with reduced handgrip strength at baseline demonstrated a statistically significant decline in cognitive function over a 7-year period. By contrast, participants in the highest handgrip strength quartile maintained a higher level of cognitive function.
authors.affiliation: Sealy Center on Aging, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0460, USA.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alfaro-Acha
authors.forename: Soham
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Snih
authors.forename: Mukaila A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Raji
authors.forename: Yong-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Kyriakos S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Markides
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ottenbacher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors