A recent study, conducted by a group of researchers in South Korea, discussed the relationship between the use of drugs for preventing cardiovascular disease, and its potential effect on reducing the risk of dementia.
The study focused on analyzing the effect of statins, which reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, on the development of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which is one of the most prominent types of dementia.
The study showed that eating statins may reduce the risk of dementia significantly.
The results of the study indicate that these medications may also be useful in preventing dementia, by reducing harmful cholesterol levels in the brain, which may contribute to reducing damage associated with memory loss.
These results are an important step towards understanding how cholesterol affects the development of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease.
In the study, conducted on a group of people in South Korea, the researchers found that individuals whose harmful cholesterol levels were naturally low were less likely to develop dementia compared to those whose levels were higher. The results also showed that eating statins reduced the risk of developing dementia, to a decrease of 12%.
“These results indicate that Alzheimer’s may be the result of the accumulation of harmful cholesterol in the brain. We need more research to understand how statins affect the brain.”
Some experts warned that these results need more investigations, especially since dementia is a complex disorder affected by a number of environmental and genetic factors.
“It is important to conduct clinical trials to determine the potential effects of the statistics on pathological processes in the brain,” said Dr. Julia Dadley, head of the Research Department at Alzheimer’s Research Center in the United Kingdom.
Conservation of heart health, including appropriate cholesterol levels, remains one of the most effective ways to maintain brain health. Studies indicate that about 40% of dementia can be prevented by changing lifestyle, including a healthy diet, increased physical activity, reduced alcohol drinking, and other preventive measures.
