More data this week suggesting that common risk factors for heart disease may also raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s: A study of nearly 10,000 people found that having high cholesterol during midlife increased the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in old age. The finding was based on cholesterol measurements taken in the 1960s and early 70s, when the patients were in their early 40s, and on Alzheimer’s Disease diagnoses that came decades later. Among those whose cholesterol was “desirable” during middle age (below 200 mg/dl), 4% developed Alzheimer’s in old age; among those with high cholesterol (240 mg/dl or above), 5.6% developed Alzheimer’s. After adjusting for other variables, the researchers

found that people with high cholesterol were 57% more likely than those with desirable levels to develop Alzheimer’s. The study appears in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders . Researchers have been looking for a while at whether cardiovascular risk factors also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association has an overview of more than a dozen published studies that looked at cholesterol as well as blood pressure, diabetes and smoking — all key risk factors for heart disease that may play a role in cognitive decline as well. Photo: Associated Press

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More Research Links Cardiovascular Health to Alzheimer’s