Dementia linked to high cholesterol levels in a world-first breakthrough by Australian researchers: 'A game changer'
-
Loading... - Harriet Evans
- 22 Mar 2023
- 64 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Scientists at the Heart Research Institute say they have made a major breakthrough by finding the definitive relationship between dementia and high levels of cholesterol for the first time.
The researchers say the findings are significant, because they mean future tests to calculate a person's risk from dementia can be performed through blood tests.
The scientists examined the data from 17 global studies that included more than a million patients under the age of 65.
The Institute's Dr Ashish Misra said the findings were exciting and a 'game changer' because it was the first definitive link between levels of cholesterol and dementia.
'This is the first time we've been able to say categorically that there's a direct link between what we eat and our cognitive decline,' he said.
Until now we haven't known high cholesterol was a risk factor for dementia, but we've found a link: 'bad' cholesterol aggregates a protein called tau between neurons, which cross the blood-brain barrier, and can lead to dementia,' Dr Misra said.
Cholesterol is used by the body to make hormones and aid digestion, but too much cholesterol from a diet high in sugar and fat will lead to an imbalance of lipid levels in the blood, causing complications.
High levels of cholesterol can lead to the accumulation of plaque along artery walls, increasing the risk of stroke. Read More…
