Appendicular Lean Mass Linked to Decrease in Alzheimer Risk
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 10, 2023 -- High levels of genetically proxied appendicular lean mass are associated with reduction in the risk of Alzheimer disease, according to a study published online June 29 in BMJ Medicine.
Iyas Daghlas, M.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a Mendelian randomization study to examine whether genetically proxied lean mass is associated with Alzheimer disease. Summary level genetic data were included from 450,243 U.K. Biobank participants; an independent sample of 21,982 patients with and 41,944 controls without Alzheimer disease; a replication sample of 7,329 patients with Alzheimer disease and 252,879 controls; and 269,867 individuals participating in a genome-wide association study of cognitive performance.
The researchers found that a 1 standard deviation increase in genetically proxied appendicular lean mass was associated with a reduction in Alzheimer disease risk (odds ratio [OR], 0.88). This finding was replicated in an independent cohort of Alzheimer disease patients (OR, 0.91) and was consistent in sensitivity analyses more robust to inclusion of pleiotropic variants. Higher genetically proxied appendicular lean mass was also associated with increased cognitive performance (standard deviation increase in cognitive performance for each standard deviation increase in appendicular lean mass, 0.09). The association between appendicular lean mass and risk of Alzheimer disease was not reduced after adjustment for potential mediation through genetically proxied cognitive performance.
"We identified genetic support for a protective effect of lean mass on the risk of Alzheimer's disease and on higher cognitive performance," the authors write. "Further investigation is warranted to understand the clinical and public health implications of these findings."
One author disclosed ties to Novo Nordisk.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2023
Read this next
Study Looks at Links Between Cognition, Psychopathology, Weight in Preteens
WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 -- Lower cognition and greater psychopathology at baseline are associated with increased weight gain for children entering adolescence, according to a...
Odds of Death Lower With Surgery for Hip Fracture in Patients With Dementia
MONDAY, June 3, 2024 -- For community-dwelling patients with dementia and fracture of the femoral head and neck, the odds of death are lower for those treated surgically...
Preeclampsia Linked to Increased Risk for Young-Onset Dementia
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Individuals with preeclampsia have an increased risk for young-onset dementia, according to a research letter published online May 30 in JAMA Network...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.