Elevated total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in midlife were associated with greater 20-year cognitive decline, according to a recent study. Researchers quantified the association between measured serum lipids in midlife and subsequent 20-year change in performance on 3 cognitive tests in 13,997 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. They found:

• Elevated total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were associated with greater 20-year decline on a test of executive function, sustained attention, and processing speed.
• Higher total cholesterol and triglycerides were also associated with greater 20-year decline in memory scores and a measure summarizing performance on all 3 tests.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not associated with cognitive change.