The research team, from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, relied on an analysis of nearly one million participants. The results revealed that common cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins and ezetimibe, may offer additional benefits related to brain health and cognitive function.
The researchers used a scientific method known as Mendelian randomization, a technique that relies on studying natural genetic variations among individuals that influence blood cholesterol levels. Instead of following people taking cholesterol-lowering medications, the team analyzed the effect of these genetic variants as if they were a long-term "natural experiment" in the human body. This method is more accurate and objective because it reduces the influence of confounding factors such as diet, lifestyle, and physical activity, which are difficult to control in traditional studies.
Analyses revealed a clear link between genetic factors that lower cholesterol and a reduced risk of dementia. Researchers believe that the biological pathways that control cholesterol levels—the same ones targeted by cholesterol-lowering drugs—may play a role in maintaining brain health.
Our results suggest that people with genetic variants that lower their cholesterol have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia," said study co-author Liv Tyberg Nordestgaard, a clinical biochemist.
Researchers believe that atherosclerosis, caused by the accumulation of fatty deposits in blood vessels, may contribute to brain cell damage, as poor blood flow is a known cause of some types of dementia.
The scientific team hopes to conduct long-term clinical trials to test whether cholesterol medications can actually reduce the risk of dementia in the long term.
"It would be interesting to conduct trials that extend over a decade or more to follow the effect of cholesterol medications on the risk of dementia," Nordestgaard said.
The results of the study were published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.
