2008
Good Cholesterol Staves Off Memory Loss, Dementia
High levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, have long been associated with memory problems experienced by the elderly but new research on the effects of the high-density lipoproteins (HDL), shows that high levels of the “good” cholesterol in middle age are beneficial in maintaining good memory well into the twilight years and may reduce the chances of developing age-related dementia.
HDL and memory lossThe British Whitehall II study, a long-term study of the health of more than 10,000 British civil servants, isolated 3,673 study participants, of whom 26.8% were women, during phases 5 and 7 of the study, which began in 1985, to analyze the effect of HDL on memory function as the study participants reached middle age.
The presence of memory impairment in middle age is a strong indicator of dementia developing later in life. People who are 65 years and older are the fastest growing age group in the world’s industrialized countries and are at the most risk of developing dementia.
For the sake of the study, a low level of HDL was considered to be 40 mg/dL while 60 mg/dL or higher was considered high. Performance on memory tests and blood-fat content were compared from phase 5 of the study, conducted in 1995, when study participants were of the average age of 55, to the same study participants when their average age was 61, during phase 7 of the study in 2002.
The memory tests involved a participant’s ability to recall 20 short words read to them one word at a time at an interval of two seconds per word. After hearing all 20 words, consisting of only one or two syllables, the participant was given two minutes to write down as many words as he or she could remember.