Gaby
South Korean researchers have announced that if you have elevated levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol in your blood, you may be at a higher risk of developing dementia.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed data collected from 11 university hospitals across South Korea. The information was gathered from 571,000 adults who did not have dementia.
At the start of the study, participants were divided into two groups based on their cholesterol tests. Volunteers in the first group had high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, exceeding 3.4 mmol/L. In contrast, the second group had low levels of LDL cholesterol, below 1.8 mmol/L.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are a class of lipoproteins that serve as one of the primary carriers of cholesterol in the blood and are often referred to as “bad” cholesterol.
After six months, any type of dementia was diagnosed 26 percent less frequently in individuals with low levels of “bad” cholesterol, while Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed 28 percent less often compared to participants with high LDL levels.
However, individuals with very low levels of “bad” cholesterol had only an 18 percent lower chance of developing dementia compared to the high cholesterol group. Those with extremely low LDL levels were at the same risk of developing dementia as those with high LDL levels.
The researchers also found that among individuals in the low “bad” cholesterol group who regularly took statins (medications used to lower LDL levels), the risk of developing dementia was 13 percent lower, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was 12 percent lower than in participants who did not take them.
Ultimately, the researchers concluded that low LDL levels are significantly associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia, and that statins may provide additional protection against this disease.
The study’s results were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Expert Opinion: Dr. Petrula Proitsi, a genetic epidemiologist at the Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Preventive Neurology, who was not involved in the study, informed BBC Science Focus about several factors that the authors did not consider, such as age, gender, genetic risk for dementia, and lifestyle factors.
