By David Liu, PHD

Wednesday Nov 14, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- P. van Vliet of Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands published a report in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease to suggest that cholesterol has something to do with risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

High cholesterol is a known cardiovascular disease risk factor,  but it is less known how cholesterol is associated with dementia and cognitive decline, according to the author.

The author reviewed research and found that high serum cholesterol levels in midlife, but not high cholesterol levels in late-life, were associated with elevated risk of late-life dementia and cognitive decline.

Statins can lower cholesterol and observational studies suggest that statin therapy may lower risk of dementia and cognitive decline, but randomized controlled trials did not confirm such a therapeutic effect on late-life cognitive function.

Also, it should be pointed out, the author reported, that lowering cholesterol levels may impair brain function because "cholesterol is essential for synapse formation and maturation and plays an important role in the regulation of signal transduction through its function as a component of the cell membrane."

Nevertheless, membrane cholesterol can cause harm because it is involved in the formation and aggregation of amyloid-β , which is the cause of Alzheimer's disease. 

Additionally, factors that affect cholesterol metabolism, such as dietary cholesterol, also "play a role in late-life cognitive function and the risk of dementia." 

The author concluded "cholesterol associates with late-life cognitive function, but the association is strongly age-dependent. There is no evidence that treatment with statins in late-life has a beneficial effect on cognitive function."

To lower cholesterol, statins can be used.  But they are not the only medications people can use.  Studies show red yeast rice and vitamin C, particularly the former, are very effective in lowering cholesterol.