Mid Life High Cholesterol Increases the Risk of Alzheimer's

According to research, people with high cholesterol in their early 40s are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with low cholesterol.

"Our findings show it would be best for both physicians and patients to attack high cholesterol levels in their 40s to reduce the risk of dementia," said study author Alina Solomon.

Differential characteristics are pointed out in the image of the comparison of a normal aged brain (top) and an Alzheimer's brain (bottom).

The study involved 9,752 men and women in northern California who underwent health evaluations between 1964 and 1973 when they were between the ages of 40 and 45 and remained with the same health plan through 1994. From 1994 to 2007, researchers obtained the participants' most recent medical records to find 504 people had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and 162 had vascular dementia.

The study found people with total cholesterol levels between 249 and 500 milligrams were one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those people with cholesterol levels of less than 198 milligrams. People with total cholesterol levels of 221 to 248 milligrams were more than one-and-a-quarter times more likely to develop Alzheimer's.

"High mid-life cholesterol increased the risk of Alzheimer's regardless of midlife diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and late-life stroke," said Solomon.

Solomon says conclusions regarding high mid-life cholesterol and the risk of vascular dementia were difficult to formulate as there are several types of vascular dementia that may have slightly different risk factors.

Lowering LDL cholesterol can be achieved through eating certain foods, without the harmful side effects of cholesterol lowering drugs. Studies have found that diets low in saturated fat together with plant sterols and viscous fibers, fatty fish, soy protein and nuts are just as effective as statins in lowering LDL cholesterol.

Increased consumption of soy foods has been associated with reduction in LDL cholesterol in both clinical and observational studies. Human studies have also shown that soy protein is effective in lowering plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.

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References:
1. Rachel Whitmer, et al. American Academy of Neurology.
2. David JA Jenkins, et al. Direct comparison of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods with a statin in hypercholesterolemic participants. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 81, No. 2, 380-387, February 2005.
3. David J. A. Jenkins, Effects of a Dietary Portfolio of Cholesterol-Lowering Foods vs Lovastatin on Serum Lipids and C-Reactive Protein. JAMA. 2003;290:502-510.