CURE MAGA JAN26 DOUBLE PG-LINKS - Flipbook - Page 18
DO STATINS AFFECT
DEMENTIA RISK?
Many people have questions about what might cause
dementia, and it’s easy to come across confusing or
misleading information - especially online. One topic
that comes up often via our Dementia Research
Infoline is statins. These are medicines that help
lower cholesterol, and some people wonder if taking
them could affect their risk of developing dementia.
Jessica Gibson
Information Officer
So to set things straight, our Information Officer
Jessica Gibson explains what we know and what the science tells us.
What are statins?
Statins are medicines that lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol, also known as
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. High levels of this can clog blood
vessels, raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.
But by lowering ‘bad’ cholesterol, statins reduce those risks. Some can
also raise ‘good’ cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or ‘HDL’)
– which helps to clear bad cholesterol from the blood.
Doctors usually prescribe statins for people who already have heart or
blood vessel problems, or for those with high cholesterol that puts them at
risk in the future. Millions of people in the UK take them every day.
WHAT IS A HEALTHY LEVEL OF CHOLESTEROL?
According to NHS guidance, healthy cholesterol levels are:
y Good (HDL) cholesterol: above 1.0 mmol/L for men, and above 1.2
mmol/L for women.
y Bad (LDL) cholesterol: between 1.3 and 4.0 mmol/L.
y Total cholesterol: between 3.1 and 5.0 mmol/L.
Cholesterol is measured in millimoles per litre – written as mmol/L
– which shows how much cholesterol is in your blood.
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