The Role of High Triglycerides Level in Predicting Cognitive Impairment: A Review of Current Evidence

Abstract

The burden of cognitive disorders is huge and still growing, however the etiology and the degree of cognitive impairment vary considerably. Neurodegenerative and vascular mechanisms were most frequently assessed in patients with dementia. Recent studies have shown the possible involvement of triglycerides levels in cognitive function through putative mechanisms such as brain blood barrier dysfunction or amyloid metabolism imbalance, but not all research in the field found this association. Several clinical studies evaluated the relationship between different forms of cognitive decline and levels of serum triglycerides, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. This review focuses on the role of triglycerides in cognitive decline, cerebral amyloidosis and vascular impairment. Considering that the management of hypertriglyceridemia benefits from lifestyle modification, diet, and specific drug therapy, future studies are requested to appraise the triglycerides–cognitive impairment relationship.

Using Health Check Data to Understand Risks for Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Among Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Peoples in Northern Queensland—A Data Linkage Study

“…Triglycerides are lipids that store and transport energy in the body. High levels of triglycerides are generally associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment over time ( 31 ) and non-Alzheimer's dementia ( 32 ), although evidence is sparse and non-associations have also been reported ( 31 , 33 ). A few cross-sectional studies have reported similar results to ours, where low levels of triglycerides were associated with dementia ( 34 , 35 ).…”

Psychiatric Comorbidities and Liver Injury Are Associated With Unbalanced Plasma Bile Acid Profile During Methamphetamine Withdrawal

“…Mechanistically, altered BA profiles may reflectimbalances in lipid metabolism during METH withdrawal. Hyperlipidemia, especiallyexcess TGs, has been reported to affect the development of neural cognition and mooddisorders through putative mechanisms such as brain blood barrier dysfunction or animbalance in amyloid metabolism ( 45 – 47 ). The present studyshowed that the plasma concentrations of TGs and LDL-cholesterol correlatedpositively with both HAM-A and HAM-D scores, whereas the plasma concentrations ofHDL-cholesterol correlated negatively with HAM-D scores.…”

The Potential Role of Gut Microbiota in Alzheimer’s Disease: From Diagnosis to Treatment

“…Diet is a rapid and direct way of modifying the gut microbiota composition and function, reducing inflammation, and helping in eubiosis maintenance [ 123 , 164 , 165 ]. Given the evidence of association between neuropsychiatric conditions and gut microbiota dysregulation, it is worth speculating that dietary interventions could represent effective candidates for preventing and delaying the pathogenesis and progression of AD [ 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 ] ( Table 2 ). Here, we present some of the most promising dietary therapies proposed in the literature, with a particular focus on Mediterranean and ketogenic diets.…”

“…Overall, lipid dysregulation might contribute to AD pathogenesis, enhancing synaptic loss, BBB dysfunction, mitochondrial disruption, oxidative stress, and inflammation [ 198 , 205 ]. Indeed, in large longitudinal studies, high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the serum are significantly associated with cognitive impairment [ 178 ]. Again, a recent cross-sectional study with 689 participants including AD and healthy patients, revealed that reduced levels of triglycerides were related to better cognitive performance and a reduction in brain dysfunction and atrophy [ 206 ].…”