Cognitive frailty and cardiometabolic risk in middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the UK and China

Background: Cognitive frailty, a novel construct integrating cognitive and physical deficits, is increasingly recognized in aging research. Aims: This study aimed to examine the associations between cognitive frailty and cardiometabolic risk in two nationally representative cohorts from China and the United Kingdom. Methods: We analyzed data from 7,628 participants in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and 4,703 participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), all aged ≥ 50 years. Frailty was assessed using the frailty index (FI) in the main analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for incident cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and diabetes. Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed to examine effect modification. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to assess the shape of the association between FI and cardiometabolic risk. Sensitivity analyses employed competing risk models and the physical frailty phenotype (PFP) as an alternative frailty measure. Results: Cognitive frailty was associated with higher risks of CMDs (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.39–1.79), CVDs (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.42–1.89), and diabetes (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.11–1.75). Cognitive impairment alone showed no significant association with these outcomes in the main analysis. Dose–response associations were significant between the FI and CMDs and CVDs among individuals with and without cognitive impairment. Results were consistent across cohorts and robust in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Cognitive frailty is a consistent predictor of cardiometabolic risk across distinct populations, supporting integrated screening and prevention strategies targeting both cognitive and physical deficits in aging populations.