High Good, Low Bad Cholesterol Levels Healthy for the Brain

In a pattern that mirrors the relationship between good and bad cholesterol in cardiovascular disease, University of California (UC) Davis researchers have found that high levels of “good” cholesterol and low levels of “bad” cholesterol correlate with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, recently published in JAMA Neurology, was conducted in 74 diverse male and female individuals 70 years and older who were recruited from California stroke clinics, support groups, senior facilities and the Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The participants’ amyloid levels were obtained using a tracer that binds with amyloid plaques and imaging their brains using PET scans. Higher fasting levels of LDL and lower levels of HDL both were associated with greater brain amyloid — a first-time finding linking cholesterol fractions in the blood and amyloid deposition in the brain. “This study provides a reason to certainly continue cholesterol treatment in people who are developing memory loss, regardless of concerns regarding their cardiovascular health,” said Bruce Reed, lead study author, a professor in the UC Davis department of neurology. Click here to read the full article.