In nearly 1,400 adults with earlier kidney disease, frailty doubled later cognitive-test decline in men, not in women

What the research found

Study (observational cohort). Stephanie Lapierre-Nguyen, Ester Oh, and colleagues in the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado Anschutz report in GeroScience (doi 10.1007/s11357-026-02395-5; Medical Xpress 24 September 2026) on the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort. Nearly 1,400 adults with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease who were not on dialysis were scored for frailty (including hand-grip) and followed with the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS). Across the whole group, frailty did not line up with later cognitive impairment. Split by sex, women were more often frail (16% versus 9% of men), but men were more likely to develop cognitive impairment. Frail men had more than twice the risk of later 3MS decline versus non-frail men. Frail women did not show that pattern. The authors suggest social support and daily habits may differ by sex; they did not prove a cause. Educational notes. This is not a diagnosis tool.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at University of Colorado Anschutz / GeroScience