Low HDL Cholesterol Is a Risk Factor for Deficit and Decline in Memory in Midlife

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Abstract
Objective— The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between fasting serum lipids and short-term verbal memory in middle-aged adults. Methods and Results— Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, and memory were measured twice, at mean ages 55 and 61, in 3673 male and female participants of the Whitehall II study. Short-term verbal memory was assessed using a 20-word list. Logistic regression was used to model associations between ATP-III categories of lipids and memory deficit (recall of ≤4 words) and decline (decrease of ≥2 words). Analyses were adjusted for education, occupational position, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, use of medication, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Compared to high HDL-C (≥60 mg/dL), low HDL-C (<40 mg/dL) was associated with greater odds of memory deficit at the first (OR=1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.91 to 1.77) and second wave of this study (OR=1.53; 95% CI=1.04 to 2.25) in fully adjusted a... We examined the relationship between fasting serum lipids and short-term verbal memory in middle-aged adults. Low HDL cholesterol and decreasing levels over a 5-year follow-up period were associated with poor memory and decline in memory, respectively. No other lipid that was tested was associated with memory.