The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Pre-morbid intelligence, the metabolic syndrome and mortality: the Vietnam experience study

Pre-morbid intelligence, the metabolic syndrome and mortality: the Vietnam experience study
Pre-morbid intelligence, the metabolic syndrome and mortality: the Vietnam experience study
Aims/Hypothesis: We examined the relationship between pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ) and the metabolic syndrome, and assessed the role of the metabolic syndrome as a mediating factor in the association of IQ with total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Methods: In this cohort study, 4,157 men with IQ test results from late adolescence or early adulthood [mean age (range) 20.4 (16-30) years] attended a clinical examination in middle-age [38.3 (31-46) years] at which the components of the metabolic syndrome were measured. They were then followed for 15 years to assess mortality.

Results: In age-adjusted analyses, IQ was significantly inversely related to four of the five individual components comprising the metabolic syndrome: hypertension, high BMI, high triglycerides and high blood glucose, but not low HDL-cholesterol. After controlling for a range of covariates that included socioeconomic position, higher IQ scores were associated with a reduced prevalence of the metabolic syndrome itself (odds ratio(1 SD increase in IQ) 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.98). Structural equation modelling revealed that education was not a mediator of the relationship between IQ and the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome partially mediated the relationship between IQ and CVD but not that between IQ and total mortality.

Conclusions/Interpretation: In this cohort, higher scores on a pre-morbid IQ test were associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and most of its components. The metabolic syndrome was a mediating variable in the IQ-CVD relationship.
cardiovascular disease, cvd, intelligence quotient, iq, metabolic syndrome, mortality, socioeconomic position
0012-186X
436-443
Batty, G.D.
bf322937-2cfb-4174-b5cb-dc016f0d0b8a
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Mortensen, L.H.
053a4abd-af2e-486e-8e5e-5e2dedae259c
Langenberg, C.
cdc40a90-cb96-42fa-855b-8a2bef402282
Shipley, M.J.
da07ad9b-1ea2-41f9-8c2a-df67edd60a70
Deary, I.J.
e3403cfe-eb5b-4941-903d-87ef0db89c60
Batty, G.D.
bf322937-2cfb-4174-b5cb-dc016f0d0b8a
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Mortensen, L.H.
053a4abd-af2e-486e-8e5e-5e2dedae259c
Langenberg, C.
cdc40a90-cb96-42fa-855b-8a2bef402282
Shipley, M.J.
da07ad9b-1ea2-41f9-8c2a-df67edd60a70
Deary, I.J.
e3403cfe-eb5b-4941-903d-87ef0db89c60

Batty, G.D., Gale, C.R., Mortensen, L.H., Langenberg, C., Shipley, M.J. and Deary, I.J. (2008) Pre-morbid intelligence, the metabolic syndrome and mortality: the Vietnam experience study. Diabetologia, 51 (3), 436-443. (doi:10.1007/s00125-007-0908-5).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Aims/Hypothesis: We examined the relationship between pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ) and the metabolic syndrome, and assessed the role of the metabolic syndrome as a mediating factor in the association of IQ with total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Methods: In this cohort study, 4,157 men with IQ test results from late adolescence or early adulthood [mean age (range) 20.4 (16-30) years] attended a clinical examination in middle-age [38.3 (31-46) years] at which the components of the metabolic syndrome were measured. They were then followed for 15 years to assess mortality.

Results: In age-adjusted analyses, IQ was significantly inversely related to four of the five individual components comprising the metabolic syndrome: hypertension, high BMI, high triglycerides and high blood glucose, but not low HDL-cholesterol. After controlling for a range of covariates that included socioeconomic position, higher IQ scores were associated with a reduced prevalence of the metabolic syndrome itself (odds ratio(1 SD increase in IQ) 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.98). Structural equation modelling revealed that education was not a mediator of the relationship between IQ and the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome partially mediated the relationship between IQ and CVD but not that between IQ and total mortality.

Conclusions/Interpretation: In this cohort, higher scores on a pre-morbid IQ test were associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and most of its components. The metabolic syndrome was a mediating variable in the IQ-CVD relationship.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2008
Keywords: cardiovascular disease, cvd, intelligence quotient, iq, metabolic syndrome, mortality, socioeconomic position

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 60899
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/60899
ISSN: 0012-186X
PURE UUID: cd8f1932-9529-445c-a4a7-aa75abcf54b2
ORCID for C.R. Gale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-8638

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Sep 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:49

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: G.D. Batty
Author: C.R. Gale ORCID iD
Author: L.H. Mortensen
Author: C. Langenberg
Author: M.J. Shipley
Author: I.J. Deary

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×