Higher Hemoglobin Levels Linked to Lower Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

 Ask your competent? doctors and hospital when they will get testing done in stroke survivors. No acknowledgement that this is even their responsibility IS ABSOLUTE FUCKING INCOMPETENCE!

Of course, your doctor is familiar with this earlier research! Oh no, you DON'T have a functioning stroke doctor, do you?

• hemoglobin levels (4 posts to February 2024)

 We need to know the protocols to achieve the proper levels.

For me to donate blood I need this; and males must have a minimum level of 13.0g/dL, which doesn't square with130 g/L in the article. I have to take iron pills several days ahead to assure I have the right level.

Higher Hemoglobin Levels Linked to Lower Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

BACKGROUND

Although numerous cross-sectional studies have examined the relationship between anemia and cognitive impairment or dementia in older adults, data from larger longitudinal studies, especially in generally healthy older adults, is limited.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the associations between baseline hemoglobin levels, anemia, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over three years in generally healthy older adults.

METHODS

This is an observational analysis of the three-year DO-HEALTH trial, a double-blind, randomized controlled trial including 2157 European community-dwelling adults age 70+. Cognition was assessed at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 months using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). MCI was defined as a MoCA score below 26 at two consecutive time points. The exposures were the quintiles of hemoglobin levels and anemia at baseline. Logistic regression models based on generalized estimating equations controlled for age, sex, prior falls, study site, treatment allocation, body mass index, number of comorbidities, smoking status, use of iron supplements, alcohol consumption, renal function, vitamin B12 levels.

RESULTS

A total of 2150 participants were included in the analyses (mean age of 74.9 years; 61.7% females). Compared to the lowest quintile, participants in all higher quintiles had a significantly lower odds of MCI: 2^nd = 34% lower odds of MCI (OR=0.66, 95% CI 0.47, 0.93, p=0.02), 3^rd = 39% (OR=0.61, 95% CI 0.43, 0.86, p=0.005), 4^th = 44% (OR=0.56, 95% CI 0.39, 0.82, p=0.003), and 5^th = 36% (OR=0.64, 95% CI 0.43, 0.97, p=0.03). For anemia, there was no association with the odds of MCI over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline hemoglobin levels above 130 g/L were associated with reduced odds of MCI over three years. While this study does not establish causality, it suggests further investigations in monitoring and managing hemoglobin levels, even in generally healthy older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION PAGE: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01745263 TRIAL REGISTRATION ID: NCT01745263.

REFERENCES

1. Association between hemoglobin levels and mild cognitive impairment in generally healthy European community-dwelling older adults: A three-year prospective analysis of the DO-HEALTH trial.

   Wieczorek M, Funk J, Mattle M, Gängler S, Egli A, Kressig RW, Manz MG, Bischoff-Ferrari HA.

   Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Nov 13 [Epub ahead of print]