New study: cholesterol affects cognition

It is becoming increasingly clear that the heart and brain are connected and both are dependent on maintaining the integrity of the blood system. In a study published in the journal Circulation, researchers found that changes in cholesterol levelsLDL, May be particularly harmful for cognitive functions. Previous studies have shown its impact on stroke and heart disease.

Scientists, led by Dr. Ruilov Smet of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, have studied more than 4,000 registered elderly people associated with a specific drug to reduce harmful cholesterol, to determine whether they had an impact on cognitive functions such as attention, information processing and memory, people who took this medication for at least three months and compared it to people who did not consume.

The results showed that people with the greatest level variations LDL During the two and a half years of follow – up, who achieved the lowest scores on cognitive tests, it took them about three more seconds to complete the correct color label test for the first time. ink, when it has been printed in a different color..

"These findings add to the new evidence that vascular blood flow factors are closely related to cognitive neuroscience and call for new research on the causal relationship between fat metabolism," the authors write.

Although the study was unable to isolate the cause of fluctuating levels LDL In humans, changes in diet and exercise can be important factors to consider, and changes in the body's ability to maintain an appropriate balance of cholesterol levels can be important. be a factor, aging can disrupt this balance.

Whatever the reason, the changes in the LDL Studies have shown that such fluctuations can affect how unstable plaques exist in the heart and brain, and may in turn contribute to heart attacks or strokes..