A recent study has brought a surprising twist to our understanding of cholesterol and brain health.
Published in The Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific, this research suggests that high levels of what we usually consider “good” cholesterol – HDL-C – might actually increase the risk of dementia.
The study was led by Dr. Sultana Monira Hussain from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. The team did a detailed analysis of data from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial.
They wanted to see if there’s a link between high HDL-C levels and the chance of getting dementia in older adults who were healthy at the start.
Here’s what they did: They gathered data from 16,703 older adults in Australia and 2,411 in the United States. All these participants were 65 years or older. Over about 6.3 years, they watched to see who developed dementia.
And here’s what they found: 4.6% of these people got dementia during the study. Those with higher HDL-C levels (more than 80 mg/dL) were more likely to be in this group. The risk was even higher for participants over 75 years old.
What’s interesting is that this link stayed strong even after considering other factors like age, sex, where they lived, how much they exercised, drinking habits, education level, weight changes, other cholesterol types, genetic risks, and diabetes.
Usually, we think of HDL-C as the “good” cholesterol that helps keep our hearts healthy. So, this finding is kind of surprising. It means that when it comes to brain health and dementia, the story might be more complicated.
The researchers also noted that this increased risk of dementia with high HDL-C seemed to be independent of usual dementia risk factors.
This includes things like how active someone is, their alcohol use, education levels, whether they have diabetes, or if they smoke.
There’s a side note to this study: Two of the researchers have connections to the pharmaceutical industry. This doesn’t mean the research is wrong, but it’s always good to know about these connections.
In simple terms, this study is like finding a puzzle piece where you least expect it. We used to think high HDL-C was all good, but now it looks like when it comes to dementia, it might not be so straightforward.
This is important because it can help us understand dementia better and maybe even find new ways to prevent or treat it.
To sum up, this study is a reminder that our bodies are complex, and what’s good for one part (like the heart) might not be good for another (like the brain). It opens up new questions and directions for research in understanding and fighting dementia.
If you care about dementia, please see recent studies about high blood pressure drug that could treat dementia, and results showing this diet could protect against memory loss and dementia.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of dementia, and Omega-3 supplements could improve memory functions in older people.
The research findings can be found in the Lancet Regional Health—Western Pacific.
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