Fat found in the American breakfast staple reduces the risk of this serious disease

Eat your fats - this time not just without regret, but also knowing that it will help you fight some serious illnesses. Yes, you heard that right. The breakfast staples in America are not only great on your taste buds, but also for your health. Indulge in the scrambled eggs, red meat, and butter. A study has found that the fats present in foods such as butter, red meat, and cooking oil can slash the risk of dementia.

The research conducted by the scientists at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, found that the triglycerides, a type of fat, may have a lower risk of dementia and a slower cognitive decline over time. The study is published in Neurology. Older adults who have higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, showed a lower risk of dementia and cognitive decline, compared to people who have lower levels. Triglycerides are fatty acids and are the most common type of fat in the blood. Triglycerides contribute up to 95% of dietary fats, which are the main energy source of the brain.

“Higher triglyceride levels may be reflective of better overall health and lifestyle behaviors that would protect against dementia. Our findings suggest that triglyceride levels may serve as a useful predictor for dementia risk and cognitive decline in older populations,” study author Dr. Zhen Zhou, of Monash University, said.

The scientists looked at the health care data of 18,294 people with an average age of 75, who did not have a prior diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, to understand the link between fat and dementia risk. They studied the participants for an average of six years. 823 people developed dementia during that time. The total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were measured in each year of the study. The participants were divided into four groups based on fasting triglyceride levels. The average triglycerides of the group were 106 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). For adults, a normal or healthy triglyceride level is below 150 mg/dL. The researchers found that every doubling of triglyceride levels was associated with an 18% lower risk of developing dementia.

People with higher triglyceride levels were found to have a lower risk of developing dementia. Compared to those with the lowest levels, individuals in the second, third, and fourth groups had a 15%, 24%, and 36% reduced risk, respectively. The percentage of people who developed dementia decreased with increasing triglyceride levels: 6% in the lowest group, 5% in the second, 4% in the third, and 3% in the highest group.

The researchers confirmed their findings using a separate dataset of 68,200 older adults from the UK. Over an average follow-up of 12 years, 2,778 participants developed dementia. The analysis showed a 17% reduced risk of dementia with every doubling of triglyceride levels.
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They also found that higher triglycerides were associated with slower decline in composite cognition, a combined result from tests of global function, psychomotor speed, language and executive function, and memory over time.

“Future studies are needed to investigate whether specific components within triglycerides may promote better cognitive function, with the hope of developing new preventive strategies,” Zhou said.