Australian Heart Research Institute makes breakthrough linking dementia to high cholesterol
Dementia linked to high cholesterol levels in first global breakthrough by Australian researchers: ‘A game changer’
- Scientists find link to dementia
- High cholesterol can trigger it
- Discovery is a ‘game changer’
Scientists at the Heart Research Institute say they have made a breakthrough in finding for the first time the definitive relationship between dementia and high cholesterol levels.
The researchers say the findings are significant, because they mean that future tests to estimate a person’s dementia risk can be done through blood tests.
The scientists examined 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 “game-changing” because it was the first definitive link between cholesterol levels and dementia.
“This is the first time we have been able to categorically say that there is a direct link between what we eat and our cognitive decline,” he said.
The scientists examined data from 17 global studies that included more than a million patients under the age of 65.
The researchers say the findings are significant, because they mean that future tests to estimate a person’s dementia risk can be done through blood tests.
Until now we didn’t know that high cholesterol was a risk factor for dementia, but we’ve found a link: ‘bad’ cholesterol adds a protein called tau between neurons, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and can lead to dementia. ‘ said Dr Misra.
The body uses cholesterol to make hormones and aid digestion, but too much cholesterol from a diet high in sugar and fat will lead to an imbalance in blood lipid levels, causing complications.
High cholesterol levels can lead to plaque buildup along the walls of your arteries, increasing your risk of stroke.
‘Unfortunately, there is no magic drug to get rid of plaque in the arteries. We need to learn to live with it and help it dissolve over time through improved diet and healthy lifestyle.”
Dr. Misra said the discovery will lead to much better identification of the early warning signs of dementia, giving people the opportunity to work on their risk factors, including diet and exercise.
Evidence has shown that the initial effects of dementia often begin 10 to 20 years before clinical symptoms begin to present, and that 40 percent of the risk of developing it can be attributed to modifiable risk factors.
The Institute’s Dr. Ashish Misra (pictured) said the findings were exciting and “game-changing” because it was the first definitive link between cholesterol levels and dementia.
“This is the first time we have been able to categorically say that there is a direct link between what we eat and our cognitive decline,” said Dr. Misra.
Dr. Misra said that doctors can perform simple and cost-effective tests in people in their 50s so that at-risk patients can improve their diet as a way to monitor cognitive decline.
The number of people living in Australia with dementia is around 487,500. For the population over 65 years of age, it is equivalent to 84 patients per 1,000 people.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says the figure is expected to rise in the coming years due to the country’s aging population.
There are projections that the number of Australians living with dementia will more than double by 2058.