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Cholesterol is a type of organic fat
which is important in our daily health. Cholesterol is not all that
bad. It is useful to our body, for example, it is used in the formation
of some reproductive hormones. The body is capable of producing its
required cholesterol. The issue is our daily intake of food increases
the cholesterol level by adding to that which the body already has.
There are 2 types of cholesterol:
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Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) a.k.a. Bad
Cholesterol. This has a damaging effect on arteries when cholesterol
gets deposited on the inner wall of the arteries. This build-up is
called plague. This process causes the hardening of the arteries or
atherosclerosis, making it resistant to the flow of blood and
attractive to further deposits. This process can cause the narrowing or
complete blockage of the arteries, reducing or cutting-off supply to
the region normally replenished by the arteries. When this happens to a
major artery, for example, an artery to the brain or the heart muscle,
it could lead to a stroke or heart attack.
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High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) a.k.a. Good
Cholesterol. Good cholesterol counters the effect of bad cholesterol.
It carries cholesterol from other parts of the body back to our
liver, which removes the cholesterol from our body. The higher our HDL,
the lower our chance of getting heart disease.
Middle-aged people who have slightly
elevated cholesterol will have a higher risk of dementia at old age,
researchers reported.
According to a research study of 10,000 people by the University of
Kuopio in Finland and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in
Oakland, California, people in their 40s with high cholesterol - a
reading of 240 and above - had a 66% higher risk of Alzheimer's disease
40 years later. Those with cholesterol levels - 200 to 239 - had a 52%
higher risk in old age than people with lower cholesterol levels.
Moderately high cholesterol levels in your 40s place people at greater
risk for Alzheimer's and vascular dementia decades later.
This study is a disturbing finding as there are nearly 100 million
Americans who have either high or borderline cholesterol levels. The
positive outcome from this study is this early risk factor for dementia
can be modified and managed by lowering cholesterol through healthy
lifestyle changes. Exercise and healthy diet can help lower cholesterol
besides used of statin drugs.
The people understudy were aged 40 to 45 recruited from 1964 to 1973
and they were monitored for the some 40 years. Over this period, 598
were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia between
1994 and 2007, when they were between 61 and 88 years old.
The study however did not establish whether the high cholesterol levels
caused Alzheimer's disease or whether managing them with drugs might
reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Alzheimer's disease, a mind-wasting condition affects 26 million people
globally. There are few treatments and no cure to this disease.
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