Older people who have fluctuating levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides may have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias compared to people who have steady levels, according to new research published online in Neurology. Since the study is observational, it cannot establish a causative link.
“Prevention strategies for Alzheimer’s and related dementias are urgently needed,” said study author Suzette J. Bielinski, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Routine screenings for cholesterol and triglyceride levels are commonly done as part of standard medical care. Fluctuations in these results over time could potentially help us identify who is at greater risk for dementia, help us understand mechanisms for the development of dementia and ultimately determine whether levelling out these fluctuations could play a role in reducing dementia risk.”
Researchers used health care data to identify 11 571 people age 60 or older without a prior diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. They assessed total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) for the participants on at least three different days in the five years before the start of the study. Then participants were assigned into five equal groups based on the degree of measurement fluctuation, from lowest to highest.
Participants were followed for an average of 13 years. During that time, 2473 of them developed Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. After adjusting for confounding variables, researchers found for total cholesterol, participants in the highest fluctuation group had a 19% increased risk of dementia compared to those in the lowest group. Of the 2311 people in the highest group, 515 developed dementia compared to 483 of the 2311 people in the lowest group. For triglycerides, those in highest group had a 23% increased risk.
No link was found between dementia and variations in LDL and HDL, however.
“It remains unclear why and how fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are related to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Bielinski. “Further studies looking at the changes over time for this relationship are needed in order to confirm our results and potentially consider preventative strategies.”
One study limitation was that researchers looked at Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as a whole and did not differentiate between the types of dementia.
Source: American Academy of Neurology
