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How Cholesterol Could Save You From Alzheimer’s
By Victor Marchione, M.D. on 01/27/2011
What is colloquially known as “good” cholesterol appears to reduce an adult’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.
Good cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein, under the acronym HDL. The opposite is low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is the fat in your bloodstream that is linked to serious cardiovascular troubles.
In society, high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease are unfortunately common. More than half of all Americans have high cholesterol. About one percent of people aged 65 to 69 years old develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers studied 1,130 older adults to examine the link between cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease. The study included a random sampling of people older than 65 with no history of dementia. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol were defined as 55 milligrams per deciliter or more.
A couple of terms need to be defined for the study to be understood. “Probable Alzheimer’s disease” was when dementia couldn’t be explained by any other disorder. “Possible Alzheimer’s disease” was when the most likely cause of dementia was Alzheimer’s disease, but there were other disorders that could contribute to the dementia, such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease.
In the study, there were 101 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease — 89 probable and 12 possible. The average age of individuals at the onset of probable and possible Alzheimer’s disease was 83 years old. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol were significantly associated with a decreased risk of both probable and possible Alzheimer’s disease.
Maintaining higher HDL levels and lower LDL levels is key to remaining healthy. Here are some tips for improving HDL levels:
- Aerobic exercise may be the most effective way. Tip: it’s the length of time you exercise rather than the intensity of your exercise.
- Cut trans fats in your diet. They are found in many prepared foods, indicated on the label by the phrase “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.”
- One or two alcoholic beverages can actually increase HDL levels.
- Increase your intake of monounsaturated fats, found in olive oil and other healthful oils.
- Don’t smoke and do attempt to lose weight. Overweight people who shed pounds boost HDL levels.
- Eat high amounts of soluble fiber. Other dietary strategies are drinking cranberry juice, eating more fish, and reducing fat in the diet in general.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
Dr. Victor Marchione received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1973 and his Medical Degree from the University of Messina in 1981. He has been licensed and practicing medicine in New York and New Jersey for over 20 years.
Dr. Marchione is a respected leader in the field of smoking cessation and pulmonary medicine. He has been featured on ABC News and World Report, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and the NBC Today Show and is the editor of the popular The Food Doctor newsletter.
Dr. Marchione has also served as Principal Investigator in at least a dozen clinical research projects relating to serious ailments such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Comments
Lori
Didn't I recently read another article here about preventing dementia with what would conventionally be regarded as "high" cholesterol levels? Honestly, let's try to get this straight because the messages are conflicting and confusing. The most recent studies show that "high" (I'd rather use the word "solid") cholesterol levels in middle age reduces the incidence of dementia. Our cholesterol levels, both HDL and LDL, should increase as we get older. Ten years ago, before all the meds hit the market, having total cholesterol levels of 265 at middle age was considered normal. And LDL levels from 80 to 149 were also considered normal. The only difference between now and then is the profit made from statins. LDL cholesterol is the major transporter of fat soluble nutrients and should not be demonized. If someone is concerned about their levels, ditch the sugars, flours, and grains, because this is where we've gone wrong.
Michman
Lori you are absolutely correct. Plus regarding to exercises, Dr. Al Sears articles show that aerobic exercises are not really good and according to his latest findings that the progressive intencity rather than length of time is much more beneficial. Eating right fat is not included most vegetable oils, however, saturated fat that comes from grass fed animal sources is what we should include in our diet. In addition, it's very good to stay a way from sugar, starches, grain, flour based food and doing so we can lose weight in the process too.
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