New thesis investigating the relationship between cardiometabolic diseases and dementia
Hi there Abigail Dove! You have recently defended your thesis entitled "Cardiometabolic disease and dementia risk: identifying compensatory factors". Could you tell us a little more?
The primary aims of my thesis are to investigate the relationship between cardiometabolic diseases (a cluster of related diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke) and the development of dementia, and to identify possible compensatory factors that may attenuate the detrimental influence of cardiometabolic diseases on cognitive and brain health.
We addressed these research questions using data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), the Swedish Twin Registry, and the UK Biobank.
Important findings
In Study I (Cardiometabolic multimorbidity accelerates cognitive decline and dementia progression, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, the Journal of the Alzhaimer Association), we demonstrated that the presence of a higher number of cardiometabolic diseases was associated with a steeper trajectory of cognitive decline and an increased risk of developing objective cognitive impairment.
In Study II (Cardiometabolic multimorbidity and incident dementia: the Swedish twin registry, published in the European Heart Journal), having a higher number of cardiometabolic diseases was related to a significantly increased risk of dementia, including the Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia subtypes. Twin-based analyses comparing the association between cardiometabolic diseases and dementia among monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs indicated that genetic factors likely play a role in this relationship.
Finally, in Study III (High cognitive reserve attenuates the risk of dementia associated with cardiometabolic diseases, published in Alzhaimer's Research & Therapy), and Study IV (Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Dementia in Older Adults With Cardiometabolic Diseases, published in JAMA Network Open) modifiable lifestyle factors like engagement in mentally/socially stimulating activities and following an anti-inflammatory diet attenuated the association of cardiometabolic diseases with dementia risk and brain MRI markers of both neurodegenerative damage and vascular injury.
How can this new knowledge contribute to the improvement of people's health?
The results highlight the presence of multiple, co-morbid cardiometabolic diseases as an especially high-risk state for the development of brain pathology, cognitive decline, and dementia. This calls attention to the importance of preventing, delaying and improving the management of cardiometabolic diseases as an approach to prolong cognitive and brain health as we age.
Additionally, for people who are already living with one or more cardiometabolic diseases, the results highlight modifiable lifestyle-related factors like engagement in mentally/socially stimulating activities and adhering to a healthy diet as potential strategies to reduce the risk of dementia.
What are your future plans?
I have accepted a post-doc position at the Aging Research Center (ARC) and am excited to continue working in this line of research.