New research from Oxford Population Health reveals a significant association between poor metabolic health and a heightened risk of developing dementia.
Published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the study analyzed data from over 176,000 participants and offers crucial insights into metabolic syndrome as a potential early indicator for dementia.
Key Findings
High Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome: Of the 176,249 participants, 42% had metabolic syndrome at the beginning of the study.
Metabolic syndrome was defined as having three or more conditions among high waist circumference, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Most Common Conditions: Among those with metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure was the most prevalent condition (96%), followed by high triglycerides (74%), low HDL-cholesterol (72%), high waist circumference (70%), and high blood glucose (50%).
Increased Dementia Risk: Those with metabolic syndrome had a 12% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
Furthermore, the risk increased with the number of metabolic conditions present; having four or five conditions increased the risk of dementia by 19% and 50%, respectively.
Long-term Data: The study followed the health of participants through medical records over a span of 15 years. A total of 5,255 participants developed dementia over this period.
Danial Qureshi, the lead author, highlighted the value of early identification and management of metabolic syndrome to mitigate the risk of developing dementia later in life.
Given that the components of metabolic syndrome are modifiable through lifestyle changes or medications, it presents an attractive target for prevention.
Dr. Thomas Littlejohns, the senior author, emphasized the growing body of evidence that indicates managing and preventing certain health conditions could reduce the risk of dementia.
“The findings suggest that multiple conditions—especially those that comprise metabolic syndrome—should be considered in dementia prevention strategies,” said Dr. Littlejohns.
Long-Term Significance:
The long-term nature of the study adds weight to the findings. Because dementia is a slow-progressing disease often diagnosed years after onset, the 15-year follow-up period in this study is vital.
The researchers argue that since the strongest association between poor metabolic health and dementia risk occurred in cases diagnosed over a decade later, poor metabolic health is more likely to be a contributing factor rather than just a consequence of dementia.
Conclusion
As dementia cases continue to rise globally with limited effective treatments available, the study brings to light the critical importance of metabolic health as a key area for preventative measures.
It supports the notion that a holistic approach to healthcare, combining cardiovascular and metabolic health interventions, could be vital in combating the growing dementia epidemic.
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For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about 9 unhealthy habits that damage your brain, and results showing this stuff in cannabis may protect aging brain, treat Alzheimer’s.
The research findings can be found in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
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