Higher HDL-C linked to better cognition in older DM patients

(HealthDay)—Higher serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is associated with better executive function among older patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a study published online May 19 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

Yue Sun, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of a vitamin B12 intervention trial involving 271 non-demented older people with DM. The authors sought to assess the association between baseline clinical features and changes in cognitive measures over 27 months.

The researchers found that, at baseline, 152 subjects were cognitively normal and 119 were cognitively impaired. Over the study period, 41 subjects had cognitive decline, 36 of whom were cognitively normal at baseline. There was no significant clinical predictor of global cognitive decline. However, higher HDL-C was associated with better executive performance at follow-up (P < 0.001). In multilevel modeling, the highest tertile of HDL-C was shown to be associated with better executive function z scores than the lowest tertile of HDL-C, at all time points.

"In summary, no significant clinical factor for cognitive decline in older people with DM was found in this study," the authors write. "Higher serum HDL-C levels were associated with better performance in executive function. Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of this association may lead to effective prevention strategies to prevent cognitive decline in older people with DM."

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