A blood test for trans fat levels was done at the start of the study and their diets were analysed.
Researchers then adjusted for other factors that could affect the risk of dementia, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking.
They found that people with the two highest levels of trans fats were 52 percent and 74 percent more likely to develop dementia than those with the lowest levels.
“The study used blood marker levels of trans fats, rather than more traditionally used dietary questionnaires, which increases the scientific validity of the results,” said neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.
