Even without treatment changes, older adults who have major cholesterol levels are more likely to have dementia and cognitive decline. Over the course of six decades, researchers studied almost 10,000 older adults and their mental functioning. A 20 % increase in dementia and a 23 % increase in cognitive decline were related to high variability in total and LDL ( “bad” ) cholesterol.
The findings highlight the potential role of lipid variation in mental health. This could lead to novel treatments that promote mental health by stabilizing lipid. The research calls for more research to understand cholesterol’s precise role in dementia.
Important Facts:
- Cholesterol swings: High variation in cholesterol levels was linked to a 60 % increased risk of dementia.
- LDL and total lipid variations have an impact on memory and reaction times because they are related to faster mental decline.
- Possible biomarker: Potential treatments may aim to stabilize cholesterol levels, making it possible for it to become a first marker of dementia.
Origin: American Heart Association
A preliminary investigation presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024 suggests that older people who have considerable year-to-year fluctuations in their cholesterol levels without any changes to their treatment may be at a higher risk of memory or cognitive decline.
The conference, Nov. 16-18, 2024, in Chicago, is a leading global trade of technological advancements, research and evidence-based medical practice updates in vascular science.
” Older people with fluctuating cholesterol levels related to whether they were taking , lipid-lowering medications , – especially those experiencing major year-to-year variations— properly warrant closer monitoring and strategic protective interventions”, said head author Zhen Zhou, Ph. Dr., a postdoctoral researcher at Melbourne, Australia’s Monash University.
Low-dose aspirin was not effective for reducing heart disease risk in Australian and American adults, according to the current project, which used the in- and post-trial data of participants in a randomized clinical trial called ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly ( ASPREE ).
While one-third were taking cholesterol-lowering treatment, none of the nearly 10, 000 participants started, stopped or changed lipid-lowering treatment during the follow-up time.
All participants were fairly healthy adults without memory who had been having their , lipid levels , monitored yearly. How much did each person’s fat levels change over time using the first three cholesterol tests from the ASPREE research.
During nearly six years of follow-up after the annual analyses, 509 participants developed dementia and another 1, 760 developed mental collapse without memory.
The review found that, in contrast to those whose cholesterol levels were the most secure,:
- A 60 % increase in dementia and a 23 % increase in cognitive decline were related to high overall cholesterol fluctuations ( in the top 25 % ).
- Low-density lipoprotein ( LDL cholesterol, or “bad” ) cholesterol levels and overall cholesterol levels were significantly lower than those of tests involving memory and reaction speed, both of which had been affected by lower overall cognitive health scores.
- High fluctuations in high-density lipoproteins ( HDL “good” cholesterol ) or lipids were not associated with memory or cognitive decline. The body’s most prevalent type of fat stores extra energy from food, which is triglycerides.
According to Zhou,” We need potential research to help us understand the link between cholesterol variability and dementia risk.”
Are lipid variance amounts a real risk factor, a prelude, or a marker of dementia danger?
The possibility that significant changes in full and LDL cholesterol levels may impair arterial plaque, which are primarily made of LDL cholesterol, is one explanation. This instability can increase the risk of brain function resulting from monument growth, rupture, and following brain obstruction.
There were some drawbacks to the study, such as the fact that cholesterol levels can fluctuate for several reasons and that these unidentifiable factors may have an impact on the link between cholesterol variability and dementia risk.
In addition, the study participants were mostly white adults (96 % ), so, the findings may not apply to people in other population groups. It is impossible to establish a causal relationship between lipid levels and memory chance because this is an observational study.
” If future analysis confirms a cause-and-effect marriage, reducing cholesterol variation could possibly be a promising therapeutic target for memory,” Zhou said.
Importantly, our findings should not be misinterpreted as suggesting that lowering cholesterol through diet modification or lipid-lowering medications is harmful to brain health.
Based on data from 2017 to 2020, 63.1 million or 25.5 %, of U. S. adults had high” bad” cholesterol levels ( 130 mg/dL or higher ). Globally, in 2021, 3.72 million deaths were attributed to excessive” bad” cholesterol levels, according to the , American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2024 Update.
Studies have previously focused on the link between individual vascular risk factors and cognitive decline. However, research shows that a rise in the variability of body functions like blood pressure and blood sugar levels can harm both the heart and the brain, according to American Heart Association volunteer expert Fernando D. Testai M. D., Ph. D., FAHA, a professor of neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois Chicago, who also served as chair for the Association’s recent” Cardiac Contributions to Brain Health “scientific statement.
By providing proof that increasing variability in cholesterol levels is linked to cognitive decline, this study adds a crucial component to the puzzle of maintaining brain health. People who took lipid-lowering medications during the study period were not included in the study. Therefore, the effects of statins cannot be explained for the outcomes.
” From a practical standpoint, not sticking to strategies that improve the lipid profile, such as following a healthy diet and exercising, can worsen the negative impact of harmful lipids on the brain”.
There were reportedly 7 million adults aged 65 or older with dementia in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), and there are also projected to be nearly 14 million by 2060.
Study details, background and design:
- The study included 9, 846 participants from the ASPREE study. Participants ‘ average age was 74 years, 55 % were women, and 96 % were white adults.
- 87 % of participants lived in Australia, 13 % in the U. S. who enrolled in the ASPREE trial between 2010 and 2014. Beginning in the first year of this retrospective study using ASPREE data, a statistical analysis of data that is done after a study is finished and the data is gathered.
- At the beginning of this study, no one in the group had dementia. Cholesterol-lowering medications were used by 32 % of the participants, however, participants were excluded from the analysis if they started, stopped or changed cholesterol-lowering medications during the study period.
- All participants had undergone three yearly measurements of their total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Participants were monitored for the development of dementia in the six years following the cholesterol assessments in accordance with an expert panel’s analysis of cognitive test results, self-reported cognitive issues, medical records indicating a dementia diagnosis, or the prescription of dementia medication. Participants were randomized into quartiles based on the variation in their cholesterol levels for this analysis. Comparing the prevalence of dementia and cognitive decline, the highest and lowest 25 % of cholesterol levels were compared.
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the abstract.
About this research in neurology and dementia
Author: Karen Astle
Source: American Heart Association
Contact: Karen Astle – American Heart Association
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Research that was original will be presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions in 2024.
