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Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Young-Onset Dementia
Jeong‐Yoon Lee, Kyungdo Han, Jonguk Kim, Jae‐Sung Lim, Dae Young Cheon, Minwoo Lee. Neurology, 2025-04-23
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
A total of 1,979,509 participants (mean age, 49.0 years; 51.3% men; 50.7% with MetS) were included. Over an average follow-up of 7.75 years, 8,921 individuals (0.45%) developed YOD. MetS was associated with a 24% higher risk of all-cause YOD (adjusted HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.19-1.30), a 12.4% increased risk of AD (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.22), and a 20.9% increased risk of VaD (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.08-1.35). Significant interactions were noted with younger age (40-49 vs 50-59), female sex, drinking status, obesity, and depression. In this large Korean cohort, MetS and its individual components were significantly associated with an increased risk of YOD. These findings suggest that interventions targeting MetS may help mitigate YOD risk. However, the observational design precludes definitive causal inferences, and reliance on claims data could introduce misclassification bias. Future research using longitudinal designs and comprehensive data collection is needed to validate and expand on these associations.
Key findings
- A total of 1,979,509 participants (mean age, 49.0 years; 51.3% men; 50.7% with MetS) were included.
- Over an average follow-up of 7.75 years, 8,921 individuals (0.45%) developed YOD.
- MetS was associated with a 24% higher risk of all-cause YOD (adjusted HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.19-1.30), a 12.4% increased risk of AD (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.22), and a 20.9% increased risk of VaD (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.08-1.35).
- Significant interactions were noted with younger age (40-49 vs 50-59), female sex, drinking status, obesity, and depression.
- In this large Korean cohort, MetS and its individual components were significantly associated with an increased risk of YOD.
Why it matters
In a large Korean cohort, metabolic syndrome was associated with a higher risk of young-onset all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The authors suggest interventions targeting metabolic syndrome may help reduce this risk, but the observational design prevents definitive causal conclusions.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants1,979,509
- Effect size51.3%; 50.7%; 0.45%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 62/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 1,979,509 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 16 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 16 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Minwoo Lee: h-index 19 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Asan Medical Center: institution h-index 552 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40267374) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 62 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Lee, J., Han, K., Kim, J., Lim, J., Cheon, D. Y., & Lee, M. (2025). Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Young-Onset Dementia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000213599
Vancouver
Lee J, Han K, Kim J, Lim J, Cheon DY, Lee M. Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Young-Onset Dementia. Neurology. 2025. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000213599. PMID: 40267374.
BibTeX
@article{lee2025-40267374,
author = {Lee, Jeong‐Yoon and Han, Kyungdo and Kim, Jonguk and Lim, Jae‐Sung and Cheon, Dae Young and Lee, Minwoo},
title = {{Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Young-Onset Dementia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000213599},
pmid = {40267374},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000213599}
}
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