Do higher triglyceride levels protect against dementia? New study sheds light

A new study has found that older adults with higher triglyceride levels may have a lower risk of dementia and slower cognitive decline over time. The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, involved data from over 18,000 participants in the ASPREE clinical trial and 68,000 participants in the UK Biobank.

The researchers found that people with higher triglyceride levels were less likely to develop dementia, even after adjusting for other risk factors such as age, sex, education, and cardiovascular disease. They also found that people with higher triglyceride levels had a slower decline in global, composite cognition, and memory over time.

The researchers are not sure exactly why higher triglyceride levels may be associated with a lower risk of dementia. However, they speculate that it may be due to the fact that triglycerides are a type of fat that is important for brain health. Triglycerides provide the brain with energy and help to protect it from damage.

The researchers also noted that their findings are in line with previous studies that have shown a link between higher triglyceride levels and better cognitive function. However, they cautioned that more research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether specific components of plasma triglycerides may play a role in protecting against dementia.

Reference: Association Between Triglycerides and Risk of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study Zhen Zhou, Joanne Ryan, Andrew M Tonkin, Sophia Zoungas, Paul Lacaze, Rory Wolfe, Suzanne G Orchard, Anne M Murray, John J Mcneil, Chenglong Yu, Gerald F Watts, Sultana Monira Hussain, Lawrence J Beilin, Michael Ernst, Nigel Stocks, Robyn L Woods, Chao Zhu, Christopher Reid, Raj C Shah, Trevor T Chong, Ajay Sood, Kerry M Sheets, Mark Nelson

Neurology Oct 2023, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207923; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207923