Low cholesterol levels may be associated with the development of dementia

This study was published in the Archives of Neurology 2007 Jan;64(1):103-7

Study title and authors:
Twenty-six-year change in total cholesterol levels and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Stewart R, White LR, Xue QL, Launer LJ.
King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry), Section of Epidemiology, England. r.stewart@iop.kcl.ac.uk

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17210816

This study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels and the risk of dementia. The study included 1,027 men who were followed for 26 years. Over the course of the study the men had their cholesterol levels measured on five occasions and were screened for dementia on two occasions.

The study found that  cholesterol levels in men with dementia and, in particular, those with Alzheimer disease had declined at least 15 years before the diagnosis and remained lower than cholesterol levels in men without dementia throughout that period.

Stewart concluded: "A decline in serum total cholesterol levels may be associated with early stages in the development of dementia".