Widely varying cholesterol or triglyceride levels are risky for brain health in older adults.
- During the research, 2,473 adults developed Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.
- Participants with higher changes in total cholesterol levels had a 19% increased risk of cognitive impairment.
- As for volunteers with high fluctuations in triglyceride levels, they have a 23% increased risk of suffering from dementia.
Seniors with fluctuating cholesterol and triglyceride levels may be more likely to develop cognitive impairment, compared to people with stable levels. This was revealed by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. To reach this conclusion, they carried out a study published in the journal neurology. As part of this work, the scientists analyzed the variation of several types of blood lipids and their association with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
Dementia: 19% increased risk for adults with variable cholesterol levels
In order to carry out their research, the team used medical data to identify 11,571 people aged 60 or over who had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. She looked at measurements of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol taken by the participants on at least three different days over the past five years. The authors then divided the volunteers into five equal groups based on the magnitude of the variations in the measurements.
According to the results, 2,473 people developed Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. “After adjusting for variables that may affect dementia risk, including gender, ethnicity, baseline lipid measurements, education level, BMI, and lipid-lowering treatment, participants whose fluctuations in cholesterol levels total were higher had a 19% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia”, can we read in the study. When it comes to triglycerides, people in the group with high variations had a 23% increased risk.
Fluctuations in these rates could help identify those at risk
According to Suzette J. Bielinski, lead author of the work, fluctuations in these results over time could potentially help identify those most at risk of dementia, understand the mechanisms of development of dementia and “to determine whether leveling out these fluctuations might play a role in reducing the risk of dementia.”
Scientists have not found a link between changes in LDL and HDL cholesterol and an increased risk of dementia. “It is still unclear why and how fluctuations in cholesterol and triglyceride levels are linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Further research examining how this link changes over time is needed to confirm our results and possibly consider preventive strategies”, concluded the researcher in a statement.
