Risk Factors for Alzheimer Disease Linked to Cognitive Function Before Midlife

THURSDAY, May 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Risk factors for Alzheimer disease are associated with cognitive function starting in the mid-20s, according to a study published in the May issue of The Lancet Regional Health: Americas.Allison E. Aiello, Ph.D., from Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Participants were enrolled in grades 7 to 12 in 1994 to 1995 and followed through 2018. Weighted survey and biomarker data from waves IV (age 26 to 29 years) and V (age 36 to 39 years) were analyzed cross-sectionally. The Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score, composed of age, education, sex, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, and physical activity and apolipoprotein E ε4 allele status, was measured, as were various blood biomarkers.The researchers found that the CAIDE score was associated with all cognition measures in wave IV. For example, each 1-point increase in CAIDE was associated with a 0.03 standard deviation lower backward digit score among adults aged 24 to 34 years. There was an association for total Tau with immediate word recall in wave V (β = −0.13). Associations were also seen for wave IV high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin (IL)-10 and wave V IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-8 with lower cognition scores."The potential impact of our findings is substantial, offering clinicians and health researchers a clearer understanding of the early emergence of Alzheimer disease risk factors and their association with cognition before middle age," Aiello said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Risk Factors for Alzheimer Disease Linked to Cognitive Function Before Midlife

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