Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Predicts Episodic Memory Decline: A 10-Year Population-Based Follow-up Study
Research design and methods: This study is based on a subpopulation of the Finnish population-based Health 2000 Survey, and its follow-up, the Health 2011 study. Altogether 961 individuals aged 45–74 (mean 55.6 years, 55.8% women) underwent OGTT in 2001–2002. Categorical verbal fluency, word-list learning, and word-list delayed recall were tested at baseline and at follow-up in 2011. Statistical analyses were performed with multivariable linear models adjusted for previously reported risk factors for cognitive decline.
Results: A higher 2-hour glucose value in the OGTT at baseline predicted worse performance (slope: -0.08, p=0.01) and greater decline (slope: -0.07, p=0.007) in the word-list delayed recall test after 10 years.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher 2-hour glucose values in the OGTT predict a decline in episodic memory after 10 years.
