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Cholesterol may contribute to development of Alzheimer’s

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Individuals who have received high cholesterol test scores may benefit from improving their diet. A new study from European researchers has found that long-term exposure to high-cholesterol diets may significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

While there is believed to be a genetic component for Alzheimer’s disease, it would not explain the prevalence of the condition on its own. The Medical University Innsbruck researchers who led the study said that genetic risk accounts for less than 3 percent of all cases.

In an effort to determine what causes the rest of the cases, the investigation team developed a mouse model to test the effects of a high cholesterol diet. For six months they fed one group of mice a feed that was enriched with cholesterol. Five months after completing the diet, researchers tested the mice for mental impairments.

Compared to mice that received a normal rodent feed, the mice who were given high-cholesterol food showed significantly more signs of cognitive decline.

While cholesterol appears to play a large role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers cautioned that the disease is likely caused by a complex confluence of factors, and human studies will need to be conducted before an definitive conclusions can be drawn.