Association between Gompertz law-based biological age (GOLD BioAge) and incident mild cognitive impairment: Modifying role of social activeness.

BACKGROUND

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an important transitional stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia. Biomarker-based biological age may better capture physiological aging processes than chronological age, yet its association with the risk of developing MCI remains insufficiently studied.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine the association between Gompertz Law-Based Biological Age (Light BioAge) and incident MCI in a middle-aged and older Chinese population, and to explore whether social activeness modifies this association.

METHODS

We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative cohort. Light BioAge was calculated from chronological age, serum creatinine, fasting glucose, and C-reactive protein. Incident MCI was defined using age- and education-standardized cognitive assessments. Cox regressions were used to analysis.

RESULTS

Among 9410 participants free of MCI at baseline, 1047 developed MCI during follow-up. Light BioAge was negatively associated with risk of MCI (hazards ratio (HR) = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98-0.99). Compared to high Light BioAge, those in the moderate and low groups showed significantly lower risks of MCI (HR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65-0.94 and HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65-0.97, respectively). The association were consistent across sex and different levels of social activeness, with no significant interaction observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower biological age, as estimated by Light BioAge, is independently associated with a reduced risk of MCI in middle-aged and older adults. The use of biomarker-based aging indicators may help identify individuals at higher risk of cognitive decline for early preventive strategies.