The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7214 p309
7 September 2002

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

News summary

Related websites
European Society of Cardiology (www.escardio.org)

High mid-life cholesterol increases Alzheimer's disease risk

Having high blood cholesterol during middle age can almost treble a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Finnish researchers investigated over 1,400 people aged 65–79 years and found those who had had mid-life serum cholesterol levels over 6.5mmol/L were 2.8 times more likely to develop AD than those who had lower cholesterol levels at this time. They conclude that this emphasises the need for effective primary prevention and early treatment of hypercholesterolaemia as a way of reducing the risk of AD. The data were presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in Berlin, this week.