Author: Alexander Bruni
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Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
The risk of developing the insidious disease is 60% lower in adults over 65 with high levels of good cholesterol compared to people with low ...
HDL lipids in the blood, known as good cholesterol, prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease, US scientists have found.
The risk of developing the insidious disease is 60% lower in adults over 65 with high levels of good cholesterol than in people with low cholesterol, according to an article in the Archives of Neurology.
The effect is observed regardless of whether the good cholesterol is naturally formed in the body or statins are taken to increase it, say scientists from the Institute of Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Christian Reitz's study included 1,130 people over the age of 65 who did not complain of memory problems. During the study, the volunteers underwent medical and neurological examinations, and specialized neuro-psychological tests were conducted to diagnose the first signs of the brain disease process leading to senile dementia.
The research team divided the volunteers into four groups based on their HDL cholesterol levels. The analysis of the results showed that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, including vascular dementia and other forms of dementia, was 60% lower for four years in people with high levels, above 55, of high-density lipoproteins. .
The indicators of low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides do not show a similar connection with the disease, the team explains.
According to the American Heart Association, blood levels of HDL above 60 are considered an effective prophylactic measure against cardiovascular disease.
HDL cholesterol can be improved by maintaining a proper diet. Vitamin B3 (niacin) therapy also improves good cholesterol levels by 25%, although it is not widely used because of the side effects on some patients.
A new class of drugs, CETP inhibitors, is finding another option in the therapy of improving HDL cholesterol.
26 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The treatment amounts to 604 trillion dollars a year.