Table 3.
Associations Between Change in Lipid Concentrations From Baseline (Examination 1) to Examination 5 and Cognitive Function Test Scores at Examination 5, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, 2000–2012
| Measure of Change in Lipid Concentration | 1-SD Increment | Change in Cognitive Test Score (β)a,b,c | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASI | DSC Test | Forward DS Test | Backward DS Test | ||
| Absolute change | |||||
| TC, mg/dL | 39.6 | −0.017 | 0.008 | 0.022 | 0.033 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 35.1 | −0.013 | 0.001 | 0.031 | 0.037 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 10.6 | −0.023 | −0.006 | −0.012 | 0.003 |
| Non-HDL-C, mg/dL | 39.5 | −0.006 | 0.011 | 0.029 | 0.032 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 68.1 | 0.015 | 0.026 | 0.001 | −0.004 |
| TC:HDL-C ratio | 1.05 | 0.007 | 0.008 | 0.019 | 0.006 |
| LDL-C:HDL-C ratio | 0.86 | −0.002 | −0.002 | 0.021 | 0.011 |
| Triglyceride:HDL-C ratio | 2.09 | 0.019 | 0.024 | 0.003 | −0.008 |
| Relative change | |||||
| TC, mg/dL | 19.7 | −0.027 | 0.007 | 0.018 | 0.023 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 30.9 | −0.018 | −0.004 | 0.020 | 0.026 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 20.6 | −0.020 | −0.001 | −0.003 | 0.007 |
| Non-HDL-C, mg/dL | 26.9 | −0.017 | 0.009 | 0.020 | 0.027 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 41.1 | 0.008 | 0.025 | −0.025 | 0.005 |
| TC:HDL-C ratio | 22.9 | 0.000 | 0.007 | 0.024 | 0.023 |
| LDL-C:HDL-C ratio | 34.7 | −0.001 | −0.001 | 0.024 | 0.030 |
| Triglyceride:HDL-C ratio | 47.6 | 0.010 | 0.018 | −0.011 | 0.007 |
Abbreviations: APOE, apolipoprotein E gene; CASI, Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument; DS, Digit Span; DSC, Digit Symbol Coding; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SD, standard deviation; TC, total cholesterol.
a Results are expressed as the standardized regression coefficient (β) per SD increase in each lipid measure, as estimated in multivariable linear regression with each cognitive function test score as the dependent variable.
b Results were adjusted for examination 5 age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, current alcohol drinking, total gross family income, marital status, employment status, language spoken at home, health insurance, foreign-born status, physical activity, waist:hip ratio, height, diabetes, hypertension, log-transformed C-reactive protein level, fibrinogen level, log-transformed interleukin-6 level, APOE genotype, presence of elevated depressive symptoms, and history of lipid-lowering medication use at examinations 1 and 5 (“no use at both examinations,” “use at examination 1 but no use at examination 5,” “no use at examination 1 but use at examination 5,” or “use at both examinations”), as well as baseline HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglyceride concentrations at examination 1 and change in body weight from examination 1 to examination 5.
c All P values were greater than 0.05.