New research suggests that older individuals with fluctuating cholesterol and triglyceride levels may face an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias compared to those with stable levels.
The study, published in the online issue of Neurology, points to a potential connection, but it does not definitively establish that these fluctuations directly cause dementia.
Background: Seeking Alzheimer’s Prevention
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias present a growing public health challenge. As these conditions lack a cure, identifying effective prevention strategies becomes crucial.
Routine screenings for cholesterol and triglyceride levels are commonly performed in standard medical care.
Detecting fluctuations in these levels over time may offer insights into dementia risk, mechanisms of dementia development, and the potential role of stabilizing these fluctuations in dementia risk reduction.
Study Methodology and Findings
Researchers examined healthcare data from 11,571 individuals aged 60 and older who had not previously received diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The study focused on participants’ measurements of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) on a minimum of three different days within the five years leading up to the study’s commencement.
Participants were then categorized into five equally-sized groups based on the degree of fluctuations observed in these measurements.
The lowest group exhibited the least variation in measurements over time, while the highest group displayed the most variation.
The study followed participants for an average of 13 years, during which 2,473 individuals developed Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.
After adjusting for variables that might influence dementia risk, such as gender, race, education, and lipid-lowering treatments, the researchers made several key observations:
Total Cholesterol: Participants in the highest fluctuation group had a 19% increased risk of dementia compared to those in the lowest fluctuation group.
Specifically, out of the 2,311 individuals in the highest fluctuation group, 515 developed dementia, whereas 483 of the 2,311 individuals in the lowest fluctuation group developed dementia.
Triglycerides: Individuals with the highest level of fluctuation in triglyceride levels faced a 23% increased dementia risk compared to those with the lowest fluctuation levels.
Conversely, the researchers did not identify a significant link between fluctuations in LDL and HDL levels and an elevated dementia risk.
Implications and Future Research
The study’s lead author, Dr. Suzette J. Bielinski of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, underscored the importance of further investigations to understand the relationship between fluctuating cholesterol and triglyceride levels and dementia risk.
It remains unclear why and how these fluctuations are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
One limitation of the study is that it considered Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as a collective entity without distinguishing between different types of dementia.
In summary, while the research provides valuable insights into the potential link between cholesterol and triglyceride level fluctuations and dementia risk in older adults, additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Such research may also pave the way for preventative strategies targeting dementia risk reduction.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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