Low levels of good cholesterol linked to memory loss, dementia risk

Journal study highlights:
• Low levels of good cholesterol are associated with diminished memory by age 60.
• Researchers encourage physicians to monitor levels of good cholesterol.

DALLAS, July 1 — Low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) — the “good” cholesterol — in middle age may increase the risk of memory loss and lead to dementia later in life, researchers reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Observing 3,673 participants (26.8 percent women) from the Whitehall II study, researchers found that falling levels of HDL cholesterol were predictors of declining memory by age 60. Whitehall II, which began in 1985, is long-term health examination of more than 10,000 British civil servants working in London.

“Memory problems are key in the diagnosis of dementia,” said Archana Singh-Manoux, Ph.D., lead author of the study and Senior Research Fellow with the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM, France) and the University College London in England. “We found that a low level of HDL may be a risk factor for memory loss in late midlife. This suggests that low HDL cholesterol might also be a risk factor for dementia
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