Elderly individuals with the metabolic syndrome, a grouping of several common conditions including abdominal obesity, low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the “good cholesterol”), hypertension, and high triglyceride and blood sugar levels, are more likely to experience cognitive impairment than those without this syndrome, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA.
The researchers also found a link with high measurements of certain proteins in the blood and the metabolic syndrome and impairment.
According to background information in the article, several studies have reported an association between the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Despite an increasing awareness that cardiovascular risk factors increase risk of cognitive decline and dementia, there is little data on any link between the metabolic syndrome and cognition.
Kristine Yaffe, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues investigated the association between the metabolic syndrome and high inflammation with change in cognition. Inflammation was defined as elevated levels of the proteins interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein in the blood. Participants, aged 70 to 79 years, were part of the Health, Aging and Body Composition (ABC) study, conducted from 1997 to 2002. Average age of the 2,632 participants at the study’s onset was 74 years; 52 percent were women; 40 percent were black. Participants were reevaluated at three and five years.