Mental Health Care

You probably associate healthy cholesterol levels with a lowered risk of heart disease and stroke. And you’d be right.

But not totally right.

Healthy cholesterol also protects the brain – years before you even thought you needed to worry about something like dementia.

That’s the finding of the 40 year study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and published in the August 2009 journal Dementia & Geriatrics Cognitive Disorders.

Thirty Years In Advance…

The link between heart and brain health is not new, but this is the first study to compare cholesterol levels with a later onset of dementia. And not just high cholesterol, but borderline cholesterol as well.

Researchers tracked 9,752 men and women in Northern California who had health evaluations in the sixties and early seventies when they were between the ages of 40 and 45. Four decades later, medical records were examined for the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Those participants who had high total cholesterol in their 40s – 240 mg or greater – increased their risk of Alzheimer’s by 66%. For those who merely had borderline high cholesterol – 200-239 mg – the risk was still 50% higher.

While Alzheimer’s is what we usually think of when we talk about dementia, those people with borderline high cholesterol also had a 52% greater risk of developing vascular dementia – the second most common type of dementia.(1)

Study author Alina Solomon, MD, commented, “High mid-life cholesterol increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease regardless of midlife diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and late-life stroke.”(2)

The Californians in the study were an ethnically diverse group, including African Americans, Caucasians, Latinos and Asians, but “the association between high cholesterol and dementia was the same across all ethnic groups,” noted lead researcher, Rachael Whitmer.(3)

The Disease of a Lifetime

These results are sobering since more than 106 million Americans have borderline high cholesterol levels. Dr. Gregg Fonarow, cardiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA, comments, “if anyone was ever on the fence about controlling their lipid profiles, this could be further reason to bring your numbers to an optimal level.”(4)

Since 30 years or more can pass between the onset of elevated cholesterol levels and the development of dementia, this is a risk factor that can definitely be modified. Lead researcher of the study Whitmer calls dementia the “disease of a lifetime.”(5)

You don’t just wake up one day with Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia – they develop over a long period of time. And that means the window for prevention is now.

Two Types of Dementia

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of an abnormal protein in the brain called amyloid plaques. Researchers hope to use brain scans and test whether cholesterol-lowering drugs will prevent that buildup.

Vascular dementia is a bit different from Alzheimer’s and has more to do with the blood vessels in the brain. It can result when an artery in the brain is completely blocked, which may or may not cause a stroke. It can also be caused by a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, reducing blood flow and starving portions of the brain of oxygen.

Risk factors for vascular dementia include high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and high cholesterol.(6)

Cholesterol-Lowering Foods

Besides being aware of lifestyle diseases that may contribute to future dementia, what can you do to lower your cholesterol?

The Mayo Clinic recommends the top five foods for lowering cholesterol, which is a positive change you can make. Try adding these things to your diet:

Oatmeal – 10 grams of soluble fiber a day will decrease cholesterol. 1 ½ cups of oatmeal has 6 grams of fiber, so add some fruit to make up the difference.
Walnuts – these have been shown to significantly reduce cholesterol and you only need a handful a day. Other nuts, such as almonds, peanuts and pecans will work as well. Try adding them to cereal or salad.
Fish and Omega 3s – two servings per week of salmon, sardines, herring or mackerel will give you the protective effects of omega 3 fatty acids. If you don’t like fish, you can use supplements or flaxseed.
Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons a day can lower your LDL cholesterol without bothering your HDL cholesterol at all. Extra virgin is best. Saute meat or vegetables in it or use it to make a salad dressing.
Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols – these are substances that block the absorption of cholesterol. You can find juice, margarine and yogurt with these added at your local market.(7)

This study connecting dementia with high cholesterol levels – even after a very long time – really brings home the fact that pursuit of health is a lifelong mission. Our diet and our habits really do determine our future. Use diet and exercise to lower you cholesterol whenever you can.

And please consult a physician before making any changes to your diet, exercise or supplement routine.

Sources:

Colenso M, “Is there a link between high cholesterol levels and dementia?”, Discovery Health, discovery.com
“High Cholesterol in Your 40s Increases Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease,” American Academy of Neurology, Science Daily, Apr 16, 2008
Edelson E, “Midlife Heart Risk Factors Linked to Later Dementia,” MedicineNet.com, Aug 4, 2009
Hagan C, “Study: Cholesterol levels tied to increased risk for dementia,” CNNHealth.com, 8/4/09
Hagan C, “Study: Cholesterol levels tied to increased risk for dementia,” CNNHealth.com, 8/4/09
“Vascular Dementia,” MayoClinic.com, May 1, 2009
“Cholesterol: The top 5 food to lower your numbers,” MayoClinic.com, June 5, 2009

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About the Author:
Dr. Blankstein has been practicing for over 30 years as a leading Cardiologist. Trained in traditional medicine and Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, he knows the importance of good medical care. This consideration has allowed him to discover safe and natural ways of healing. His dedication to bringing the latest and best in health solutions to his patients and the public has given him the experience to research and develop proven natural remedies for many illnesses.
© 2009 Chesapeake Nutraceuticals
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Tagged with: Alzheimer's disease, Blood pressure, Blood vessel, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Heart disease, Mayo Clinic, Omega-3 fatty acid

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May 1st, 2010 | Category: mental health care | Comments Off
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