ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2019
Triglycerides Paradox Among the Oldest Old: "The Lower the Better?"
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association Between Triglycerides and Risk of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.Neurology · 2023Trial
- Metabolic reserve: baseline cholesterol as a predictor and modulator of response to in-hospital exercise in older adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026Article
- A generalized approach for estimating the Pace of Aging.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Article
- Triglyceride Polygenic Score Identifies Individuals Who May Respond Differently to Aspirin in Primary Prevention.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2026Article
- Reduced NK cell frequency in older patients with evolving fractures is linked to a distinct inflammatory cytokine profile.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2026Article
- Mendelian-Randomization Study Reveals Causal Relationships Between Blood Metabolites and Psychiatric Disorders.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Article
- Association between the cardiometabolic index and intrinsic capacity and its domains in older adults: a study based on CHARLS data.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Hypertriglyceridemia predicts good neurological outcome after mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel disease.Postepy w kardiologii interwencyjnej = Advances in interventional cardiology · 2026Article
- Physical frailty in relation to immunosenescence involving pDC function in the Japanese elderly: a cross-sectional survey study.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2026Article
- Associations of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio(NLR), Triglyceride-Glucose Index (TyG), and TyG-derived indices with vitality decline in older adults in China: a study within the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- Atherogenic index of plasma and triglyceride-glucose index mediate the association between stroke and all-cause mortality: insights from the lipid paradox.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- Triglyceride levels and its association with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes among patients with heart failure.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Association Between Serum Lipid Traits and Cognitive Function in Middle-aged and Elderly Adults: A Longitudinal Study.Current Alzheimer research · 2025Article
- Combined effect of triglyceride-glucose index and atherogenic index of plasma on cardiovascular disease: a national cohort study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The development and validation of a nomogram-based risk prediction model for mortality among older adults.SSM - population health · 2024Article
- Higher triglyceride-glucose index and triglyceride glucose-body mass index protect against sarcopenia in Chinese middle-aged and older non-diabetic women: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Cholesterol paradox in the community-living old adults: is higher better?Journal of geriatric cardiology : JGC · 2023Article
- The effect of lipid metabolism on age-associated cognitive decline: Lessons learned from model organisms and human.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2023Article
- Association between allostatic load and adverse outcomes among older patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Identifying the Biomarker Profile of Pre-Frail and Frail People: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from UK Biobank.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesCurrently, most treatment guidelines suggest lowering hypertriglyceridemia of any severity, even in elderly individuals. However associations of serum triglycerides (TGs) with adverse health and mortality risk decrease with age, it remains unclear among the oldest old (aged 80 years and older). The study was to investigate the relationship of serum TG concentrations with cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADLs), frailty, and mortality among the oldest old in a prospective cohort study.
designLongitudinal prospective cohort study.
settingCommunity-based setting in longevity areas in China.
participantsA total of 930 (mean age = 94.0 years) Chinese oldest old. MEASUREMENTS: The TG concentrations were measured at baseline survey in 2009. Cognitive function, ADLs, frailty, and mortality were determined over 5 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards models and competing risk models were performed to explore the association, adjusting for potential confounders.
resultsEach 1-mmol/L increase in TGs was associated with a nearly 20% lower risk of cognitive decline, ADL decline, and frailty aggravation during the 5 years of follow-up. Consistently, higher TGs (each 1 mmol/L) was associated with lower 5-year all-cause mortality after fully adjustment (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69-0.89). Nonelevated TG concentrations (less than 2.26 mmol/L) were associated with higher mortality risk (HR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.22-2.44), relative to TGs of 2.26 mmol/L or more. We observed similar results regarding TG concentrations and mortality in 1-year lag analysis and when excluding participants with identified chronic disease.
conclusionIn the oldest old, a higher concentration of TGs was associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline, ADL decline, frailty aggravation, and mortality. This paradox suggests the clinical importance of revisiting the concept of "the lower the better" for the oldest old. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:741-748, 2019.
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