Risk of Alzheimer’s with cholesterol, blood sugar levels at age 35
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the fifth leading cause of death among Americans aged 65 and over. There are no proven ways to prevent or reduce the cognitive impairment caused by AD.
Studies show that reliable sources of vascular risk burden from age 55 While predicting reliable sources of AD, it is unknown whether this link exists in young individuals.
Knowing how early this link starts can help researchers understand more about AD as a life-course disease.
Recently, researchers at Boston University examined the relationship between AD and vascular measures using longitudinal data.
They found that low HDL cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, and high blood glucose levels from age 35 onwards were associated with AD later in life.
“Many people know that high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and other health conditions, but they do not realize that it is also a risk factor for dementia,” he said. Katie Bray, Public Engagement Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved. In the study, Medical News told Today.
“Eating a balanced diet, not smoking, drinking alcohol according to recommended guidelines, exercising regularly, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol are the best evidence to keep your brain healthy as you age.” For the study, researchers included data. 4,932 individuals who were part of the Framingham Heart Study. The average age of the participants at the time of enrollment was 37 and they had to face nine tests every 4 years till the age of 70.
In each test, the researchers measured participants:
- HDL and low density lipoprotein (LDL or “good”) cholesterol
- Blood glucose levels
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- Number of cigarettes smoked per day
Beyond the second test, participants also underwent a cognitive assessment to track the progression of cognitive decline.
After analyzing the data, the researchers found an inverse relationship between AD and HDL in the first, second, sixth and seventh tests.
In the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh tests, without medication, AD is also associated with higher triglyceride levels.
Meanwhile, high blood glucose in each test was significantly associated with the development of AD.
The researchers found no association between AD and LDL, BMI, smoking or blood pressure.
