- Both high cholesterol and high blood pressure may put people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
- Researchers from a European collaboration have found that people at a genetically increased risk for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and high systolic blood pressure are also at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
- Scientists believe these findings may provide new drug targets and improve early dementia prevention.
High cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are both known modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease — a type of dementia that causes loss of memory and cognitive decline.
Now, researchers from the European Alzheimer’s & Dementia Biobank Mendelian Randomization (EADB-MR) Collaboration have also found that genetically determined increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and high systolic blood pressure are associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists think these genetic links could be used to develop new drug targets and treatments to prevent dementia.
This study was recently published in the journal
Cholesterol is a fat naturally made inside the body mostly by the liver and intestines.
It is essential for helping the body make vitamin D and certain
Because cholesterol is not water soluble, it is carried through the bloodstream via
There are two main types of cholesterol:
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as “bad” cholesterol, is known to build up in a person’s arteries, putting them at risk for stroke or heart attack.- high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as “good” cholesterol, helps eliminate LDL cholesterol buildup from the arteries.
Although HDL cholesterol is considered “good” cholesterol, too much in the body…
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