A new study from Boston University found living your best life at 35, ignoring cholesterol and glucose levels, may impact your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) later in life.
They found lower HDL (high-density cholesterol) and high triglyceride levels measured in the blood as early as age 35 are linked to a higher incidence of AD several decades later in life.
They also found that high blood glucose measured between ages 51-60 is associated with a risk of AD in the future.
The study is published in Alzheimers & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association and was conducted by Lindsay A. Farrer et al.
In the study, the team used data obtained from participants of the Framingham Heart Study who were examined in approximately four-year intervals throughout most of their adult lives.
Correlations of AD with multiple known risk factors for heart disease and diabetes (including HDL, LDL, triglycerides, glucose, blood pressure, smoking, and body mass index) were measured at each exam and during three age periods during adulthood (35-50, 51-60, 61-70).
The team found that lower HDL (the good cholesterol) is predictive of AD in early (35-50 years) and middle (51-60 years) adulthood and that high glucose in the blood (a precursor of diabetes) during mid-adulthood is also predictive of AD.
These findings showed that cardiovascular risk factors, including HDL which has not been consistently reported as a strong risk factor for AD, contribute to future risk of AD starting as early as age 35.
The researchers believe that although high LDL has been consistently linked to AD risk in many previous studies, the link between HDL and AD was inconclusive, perhaps because most studies examining these relationships were conducted in persons who were 55 years and older at baseline.
According to them, careful management of these factors starting in early adulthood can lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as Alzheimer’s.
Recent studies have found the critical time window to halt Alzheimer’s disease, and a new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, which is highly relevant to the current study.
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Previous research has linked heart health to dementia risk.
In a study from Karolinska Institutet and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, researchers found having an elevated resting heart rate in old age may be an independent risk factor of dementia.
Since resting heart rate is easy to measure and can be lowered through exercise or medical treatment, it may help to identify people with higher dementia risk for early intervention.
The number of people living with dementia is expected to increase to 139 million globally by 2050, from 55 million in 2020, according to the organization Alzheimer’s Disease International.
Currently, there is no cure for dementia, but growing evidence suggests that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and heart health could help delay the onset of dementia and ease symptoms.
In this study, the researchers examined if resting heart rate in 2,147 individuals 60 years old or older could be linked to dementia and cognitive decline independent of other known risk factors, such as heart disease.
They followed the participants for up to 12 years and showed that individuals with a resting heart rate of 80 beats per minute or higher on average had a 55% higher risk of dementia than those with a heart rate of 60–69 beats per minute.
The researchers offer several plausible explanations for the association, including the effect of underlying heart diseases and risk factors, stiffened arteries, and imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activities.
They believe it would be valuable to explore if resting heart rate could identify patients with high dementia risk.
If researchers follow such patients’ cognitive function carefully and intervene early, the onset of dementia might be delayed, which can have a substantial impact on their quality of life.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies that healthy blood vessels may be key to preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and what you should know about extra-virgin olive oil and Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about how to use a healthy lifestyle to prevent dementia, and results showing COVID-19 may cause Alzheimer’s disease-like dementia.
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