Serum cholesterol concentrations are associated with visuomotor speed in men: findings from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994

BACKGROUND: Current international recommendations advise aggressive treatment of relative hypercholesterolemia despite an incomplete understanding of any neurobehavioral effects of low or lowered serum cholesterol. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine the relation between serum cholesterol concentrations and performance in immediate memory, visuomotor speed, and coding speed tests. DESIGN: The participants were 4110 adults aged 20-59 y who completed a set of neurobehavioral tests and had blood specimens collected as a part of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic variables, serum trace elements and vitamins, dietary energy intake, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, we found inverse linear associations of serum total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol with visuomotor speed in men. The least-squares mean (+/- SE) visuomotor speeds were 231.6 +/- 2.6, 224.0 +/- 2.2, and 218.9 +/- 2.5 ms, respectively, for men with serum total cholesterol concentrations below the 25th, between the 25th and the 75th, and at or above the 75th percentile (P for trend < 0.001) and were 231.7 +/- 2.7, 225.8 +/- 2.4, and 214.1 +/- 2.3 ms, respectively, for men with a non-HDL-cholesterol concentration below the 25th, between the 25th and the 75th, and at or above the 75th percentile (P for trend < 0.001). No significant associations were observed between memory or coding speed and the selected serum cholesterol measures in men, and the scores of the 3 neurobehavioral tests were unrelated to serum cholesterol in women. CONCLUSION: Low serum total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol are associated with slow visuomotor speed in young and middle-aged men.