- A new study shows high levels of HDL-C (“good cholesterol”) may be associated with an elevated risk of dementia in older adults.
- One possible explanation could be that HDL cholesterol behaves very differently in the brain compared to the rest of the body. HDL cholesterol can lead to stiffening of the blood vessels, and in the brain, this could increase the risk of stroke.
- Researchers found that high levels of HDL-C connected to dementia risk were uncommon and not related to diet but more likely to indicate a metabolic disorder.
According to a new study
The study authors explained that very high levels of HDL-C associated with dementia risk in their research were uncommon and not connected to diet, but there was a greater chance it indicated a metabolic disorder.
Researchers examined 18,668 healthy older participants who were mostly over the age of 70. During an average 6.3 years of follow-up, participants with very high HDL-C (>80 mg/dL or >2.07 mmol/L) at the start of the study had a 27% higher risk of dementia compared to those with optimal HDL-C levels (for men: 40 to 60 mg/dL or 1.03–1.55 mmol/L; for women: 50 to 60 mg/dL or 1.55–2.07 mmol/L).
In addition, participants who were 75 years and older demonstrated a 42% increased risk in dementia compared to those with optimal levels of HDL cholesterol.
Results showed 2,709 participants had very high HDL-C at the start of the study, with 38 cases of dementia in those who were younger than 75 years with very high levels, and 101 in those 75 and older with very high levels.
The findings were published in
“The terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol, I think, oversimplify the differences between HDL and LDL cholesterol, respectively,” said Dr. Corey Bradley, cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia…
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