Statins not a wonder drug for dementia

Statins are drugs increasingly prescribed to middle-aged people to reduce their cholesterol and blood pressure. Some research has suggested that statins could also reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are linked to this condition. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews looked at two major studies of the statin drugs simvastatin and pravastatin which compared them to placebos and which included 26,340 participants. Sadly, they concluded that statins had no significant effects on people's cognition and no effect in preventing Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE53J4TO20090420?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Statins and alzheimer's disease

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease living a healthy lifestyle has been shown to reduce the risk of developing the condition. One of the ways to do this is by lowering cholesterol, something that can also be achieved with drugs called statins. A Dutch study by researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam studied 6,992 participants over 55 who were all free of dementia when they were examined between 1990 and 1993. The participants were followed up in 2005 by which point 582 of them had developed Alzheimer's. After taking into account social and demographic factors known to raise the risk of developing the condition statin users had a 43% decreased risk of Alzheimer's something that was true whichever kind of statin they took and whether or not they had a genetic variation which is known to raise the risk of Alzheimer's.

You can find out more about this study by clicking on the title of this post.

Statins and dementia risk

Statins are drugs usually used to reduced people's cholesterol. However, a study of 1,674 Mexican Americans over the age of 60 by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health has found that they may also reduce people's risk of dementia. During the five-year study 27% of the participants took a statin drug and a total of 130 people developed dementia or cognitive impairment. After allowing for other risk factors such as education, smoking, diabetes and stroke the study found that statin users were about half as likely to develop dementia.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/07/29/cholesterol-drug-may-reduce-dementia/2665.html

Statins and Alzheimer's disease

Some studies have shown that people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are less likely to go on to develop Alzheimer's disease. However, a long-term study of 929 Catholic priests who had an average age of 75 at the start of the study has found that statins have no effect on the development of Alzheimer's disease. The priests took annual cognitive tests and all agreed to a brain autopsy after their deaths. The study found no association between taking statins and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's or a slower cognitive decline and the brain autopsies found that the brains of those who had taken statins were no different to those of other people.

You can find out more about this study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/01/17/mixed-finding-on-cholesterol-drugs-and-alzheimers/1797.html