Lipid profiling shows unsaturated lipid reduction in women with Alzheimer’s
Results from a study by WIPH and Kings College London researchers show that Omega fatty acids could protect against Alzheimer’s disease in women.
Analysis of blood lipids found a noticeable loss of unsaturated fats (such as those containing omega fatty acids) in the blood of women with Alzheimer’s disease compared with healthy women. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, is the first to reveal the important role lipids can play in the risk for Alzheimer’s between the sexes. For the first time, scientists found no significant difference in the lipid molecule composition of men with Alzheimer’s disease compared with healthy men, which suggests lipids have a different role in the disease according to sex. This could explain why more women are diagnosed with the disease in later life.
Plasma samples from 841 participants with Alzheimer’s Disease, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitively healthy controls were measured for brain inflammation and damage. Mass spectrometry was used to analyse the 700 individual lipids in the blood. Results showed a steep reduction in the lipids with less saturation (‘unhealthy lipids’) in women with Alzheimer’s compared with the healthy group. The lipids with mostly omega fatty acids were the most decreased in the Alzheimer’s group.
Co-Senior Author, Petra Priotsi, said: ‘We found that women with Alzheimer’s disease have significantly lower levels of certain omega fatty acids compared with women without the disease - a pattern not observed in men. While previous studies, including our own, have hinted at similar trends, this is the first time such a wide range of lipids has been examined, and such sex-specific effects were observed. Given that Alzheimer’s is more common in women - a difference that can’t be fully explained by longer life expectancy - these findings open up exciting possibilities for personalised medicine. We’re now working to understand these associations more deeply, which can pave the way for future clinical trials that specifically target these molecules in women.’
Researchers say the work shows a statistical indication that there is a causal link between Alzheimer’s Disease and fatty acids, but a clinical trial is needed to confirm the link.
Wretlind A, Xu J, Chen W, Velayudhan L, Ashton NJ, Zetterberg H, Proitsi P, Legido-Quigley C. Lipid profiling reveals unsaturated lipid reduction in women with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Aug;21(8):e70512. doi: 10.1002/alz.70512. PMID: 40832908.