Relation of Diabetes to Cognitive Function in Hispanics/Latinos of Diverse Backgrounds in the United States

Objectives:To examine the association between diabetes and cognitive function within U.S. Hispanics/Latinos of Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American background. Method: This cross-sectional study included 9,609 men and women (mean age = 56.5 years), who are members of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We classified participants as having diabetes, prediabetes, or normal glucose regulation. Participants underwent a neurocognitive battery consisting of tests of verbal fluency, delayed recall, and processing speed. Analyses were stratified by Hispanic/Latino subgroup. Results: From fully adjusted linear regression models, compared with having normal glucose regulation, having diabetes was associated with worse processing speed among Cubans (β = ？1.99; 95% CI [confidence interval] = [？3.80, ？0.19]) and Mexicans (β = ？2.26; 95% CI = [？4.02, ？0.51]). Compared with having normal glucose regulation, having prediabetes or diabetes was associated with worse delayed recall only among Mexicans (prediabetes: β = ？0.34; 95% CI = [？0.63, ？0.05] and diabetes: β = ？0.41; 95% CI = [？0.79, ？0.04]). No associations with verbal fluency. Discussion: The relationship between diabetes and cognitive function varied across Hispanic/Latino subgroup