More Evidence Links Cholesterol and Memory

Do you know your cholesterol levels? If not -- and you're middle-aged -- you might want to see if your HDL (the good kind of cholesterol) is high enough.

Researchers from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research recently reported that over a 5-year period, participants between the ages of 55 and 61 who had low HDL (40 mg/dL or less) showed significant memory decline when compared to those with higher (60 mg/dL or greater) HDL levels.

It's interesting to consider these findings in relation to a study I summarized in a previous blog, where researchers found that people in their 40s with high cholesterol (defined as a total cholesterol level of 249-500 mg) were 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life than those who had total cholesterol levels of 198 mg or lower. Most likely, those with high total cholesterol had more of the bad kind of cholesterol (LDL) than HDL (for more information, see Types of Cholesterol).

If you want to protect your brain by improving cholesterol levels, taking statins may not do the trick. In another blog, I reported that statins may improve your numbers, but they won't necessarily improve or maintain memory functioning.

What's the solution? Unless cholesterol problems are inherited and require medication, our best bet is to raise HDL and lower LDL the old fashioned way: through diet and exercise. To learn how to do this, see the following articles:

• Eat Your Way to a Healthy Brain
• The Basics of a Low Cholesterol Diet
• How to Raise HDL Levels

Illustration © A.D.A.M.