Cholesterol and Alzheimer's: Statins and beta amyloid plaque
There are two major forms of dementia: vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Vascular dementia results when blood vessel damage deprives the brain of oxygen. Brain cells die as a result, and mental function suffers. Some studies link high cholesterol levels to an increased risk of cognitive impairment, but others report the opposite. More research is needed to sort this out, but even now, investigations of HDL (good) cholesterol and mental function have consistently reported that high HDL levels appear to help preserve mental function in older people.
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