Serum Cholesterol and Cognitive Performance in the Framingham Heart Study

Elias, Penelope K.; Elias, Merrill F.; D’Agostino, Ralph B.; Sullivan, Lisa M.; Wolf, Philip A.

doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000151745.67285.c2

Cited by 149 publications

(123 citation statements)

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“…Prospective longitudinal studies also revealed that hypercholesterolaemia was associated with a protective effect for development of dementia and cognitive decline in the Australian elderly aged 75 years and over (15). Lower naturally occurring TC levels are associated with poorer performance on cognitive measures among elderly aged 55 to 88 years in the Framingham Heart Study (16). Further, in a 26 year follow-up study of elderly, serum cholesterol levels decreased in elderly who developed mild cognitive impairment, while increased in those who maintained normal cognition in Asian elderly (12).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In addition, previous research indicated that higher consumption of tea, which is linked to lower cholesterol level, was proved to take a protective effect on cognition (7), and higher cholesterol was linked to faster cognitive decline among patients with Alzheimer's disease (8). In contrast, other studies provide contradictory findings that demonstrated no association between cholesterol concentrations and cognitive impairment or dementia (9,10), and even that higher concentrations of cholesterol were associated with a decreased risk of cognitive impairment among the elderly (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the existing studies only focused on the total population (4,5,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16); therefore, there is still some ambiguity with respect to potential differences in the relationships of cognition and lipids in men and women. Although the association between cholesterol and cognitive function is strongly age-dependent (17), yet few of previous studies focused on the oldest old (13).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Serum cholesterol levels within the high normal range are associated with better cognitive performance among Chinese elderly

Yin

Chei

et al. 2016

The Journal of nutrition, health and aging

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Objectives-The association between cognitive function and cholesterol levels is poorly understood and inconsistent results exist among the elderly. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of cholesterol level with cognitive performance among Chinese elderly.Design-A cross-sectional study was implemented in 2012 and data were analyzed using generalized additive models, linear regression models and logistic regression models. Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests. Ethical standardsThe authors declare that all the experiments of this study complied with the current laws of China in which they were performed. HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author ManuscriptSetting-Community-based setting in eight longevity areas in China.Subjects-A total of 2000 elderly aged 65 years and over (mean 85.8±12.0 years) participated in this study. Measurements-Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration were determined and cognitive impairment was defined as Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score≤23.Results-There was a significant positive linear association between TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C and MMSE score in linear regression models. Each 1 mmol/L increase in TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C corresponded to a decreased risk of cognitive impairment in logistic regression models. Compared with the lowest tertile, the highest tertile of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C had a lower risk of cognitive impairment. The adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI were 0.73(0.62-0.84) for TC, 0.81(0.70-0.94) for LDL-C and 0.81(0.70-0.94) for HDL-C. There was no gender difference in the protective effects of high TC and LDL-C levels on cognitive impairment. However, for high HDL-C levels the effect was only observed in women. High TC, LDL-C and HDL-C levels were associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment in the oldest old (aged 80 and older), but not in the younger elderly (aged 65 to 79 years).Conclusions-These findings suggest that cholesterol levels within the high normal range are associated with better cognitive performance in Chinese elderly, specifically in the oldest old. With further validation, low cholesterol may serve a clinical indicator of risk for cognitive impairment in the elderly.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Serum cholesterol levels within the high normal range are associated with better cognitive performance among Chinese elderly

Yin

Chei

et al. 2016

The Journal of nutrition, health and aging

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“…As an example, Zhang and collaborators [66] found that high cholesterol intake is strongly correlated with poor performance in cognitive tests on school children (6−16 years of age). Other studies demonstrated that greater intake of cholesterol and saturated fat increased the risk for impaired cognitive function in middle-aged or aged populations [18,33,42,58]. Although we are aware of the relative risks of high cholesterol intake, we still do not know the biological mechanisms behind its actions in the central nervous system (CNS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effects of a Saturated Fat and High Cholesterol Diet on Memory and Hippocampal Morphology in the Middle-Aged Rat

Granholm

Bimonte‐Nelson

Moore

et al. 2008

JAD

240

199

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Diets rich in cholesterol and/or saturated fats have been shown to be detrimental to cognitive performance. Therefore, we fed a cholesterol (2%) and saturated fat (hydrogenated coconut oil, Sat Fat 10%) diet to 16-month old rats for 8 weeks to explore the effects on the working memory performance of middle-aged rats. Lipid profiles revealed elevated plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL for the Sat-Fat group as compared to an iso-caloric control diet (12% soybean oil). Weight gain and food consumption were similar in both groups. Sat-Fat treated rats committed more working memory errors in the water radial arm maze, especially at higher memory loads. Cholesterol, amyloid-β peptide of 40 (Aβ40) or 42 (Aβ42) residues, and nerve growth factor in cortical regions was unaffected, but hippocampal Map-2 staining was reduced in rats fed a SatFat diet, indicating a loss of dendritic integrity. Map-2 reduction correlated with memory errors. Microglial activation, indicating inflammation and/or gliosis, was also observed in the hippocampus of Sat-Fat fed rats. These data suggest that saturated fat, hydrogenated fat and cholesterol can profoundly impair memory and hippocampal morphology.

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“…A standardized measure of effect (Cohen d) of lovastatin on endpoints adjusted for baseline values was calculated using the mITT population. Because cholesterol levels have been linked to cognitive performance, 20 we investigated an exploratory multivariable model, comparing fully evaluable treatment groups after treatment and adjusting for baseline cognitive performance and baseline total cholesterol. Reliable change index analysis was also conducted on primary outcomes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomized placebo-controlled study of lovastatin in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

et al. 2016

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Objective: To assess the efficacy of lovastatin on visuospatial learning and attention for treating cognitive and behavioral deficits in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).Methods: A multicenter, international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between July 2009 and May 2014 as part of the NF Clinical Trials Consortium. Children with NF1 aged 8-15 years were screened for visuospatial learning or attention deficits (n 5 272); 146 children demonstrated deficits at baseline and were randomly assigned to lovastatin (n 5 74; 40 mg/d) or placebo (n 5 70). Treatment was administered once daily for 16 weeks. Primary outcomes were total errors on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associate Learning task (visuospatial learning) and the Score subtest from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (sustained attention). Secondary outcomes measured executive function, attention, visuospatial skills, behavior, and quality of life. Primary analyses were performed on the intention-to-treat population.Results: Lovastatin had no significant effect on primary outcomes after 16 weeks of treatment: Conclusions: Lovastatin administered once daily for 16 weeks did not improve visuospatial learning or attention in children with NF1 and is not recommended for amelioration of cognitive deficits in this population.

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Serum Cholesterol and Cognitive Performance in the Framingham Heart Study

Abstract: Lower naturally occurring TC levels are associated with poorer performance on cognitive measures, which place high demands on abstract reasoning, attention/concentration, word fluency, and executive functioning.

Cited by 149 publications

References 40 publications

Serum cholesterol levels within the high normal range are associated with better cognitive performance among Chinese elderly

Serum cholesterol levels within the high normal range are associated with better cognitive performance among Chinese elderly

Effects of a Saturated Fat and High Cholesterol Diet on Memory and Hippocampal Morphology in the Middle-Aged Rat

Randomized placebo-controlled study of lovastatin in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

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