Factors influencing cognitive function in Chinese elderly individuals: The role of traditional Chinese medicine in a large-scale cross-sectional study

Houqin Li; Ran Chen; Jing Xia; Feiyu He; Yan Zhang; Shulan Tang; Cheng Ni

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Factors influencing cognitive function in Chinese elderly individuals: The role of traditional Chinese medicine in a large-scale cross-sectional study

Author: Houqin Li ¹ ; Ran Chen ¹ ; Jing Xia ² ; Feiyu He ¹ ; Yan Zhang ¹ ; Shulan Tang ³ ; Cheng Ni ¹
Author Information

1. Center for Studies in Constitution and Reproductive Sciences of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
2. Clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine College of Yangzhou University
3. Shulan College of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Cognitive function; Influencing factors; Traditional Chinese medicine constitution; Elderly individuals
From: Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences 2025;2025(2):221-230
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: ObjectiveTo identify key factors influencing cognitive function in the elderly, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutional classification, and to rank their relative importance.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from seven geographical regions across mainland China. The Changsha version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to assess cognitive function. A “least absolute shrinkage and selection operator” (LASSO) model, multivariate linear regression analysis, and random forest (RF) model were used. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine the correlation between key TCM constitution types and cognitive function in different population subgroups.ResultsA total of 24 803 individuals aged 60 and above were included in the study. We selected 18 influential factors using the LASSO model. Higher education, being married, and having insurance were positively correlated with cognitive function in the elderly (all P .05). In contrast, poor sleep, vision impairment, hearing impairment, basic activities of daily living disability, instrumental activities of daily living disability, depression, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, yang-deficiency constitution (YADC), yin-deficiency constitution (YIDC), qi deficiency constitution (QDC), and blood stasis constitution (BSC) were negatively correlated with cognitive function (all P .05). YIDC and BSC affected all dimensions of cognitive function (all P .05). YADC mainly affected attention, language, abstraction (verbal analogies), memory, and orientation to time and place dimensions (P .001). QDC mainly affected language and abstraction (verbal analogies) dimensions (P .05). The negative correlations between BSC, YADC, YIDC, and QDC scores and cognitive function revealed statistically significant differences across most subgroups. The RF model identified education, BSC, and poor sleep quality as the three most influential factors in our study.ConclusionBSC, YADC, YIDC, and QDC were associated with cognitive decline in the elderly. Our findings provide new perspectives and significant references for interventions for early-stage cognitive disorders.