Statins May Be Linked To Lowering The Risk Of Dementia, New Study Suggests

Statins, known as cholesterol-lowing drugs, appear to be linked to lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease in certain individuals, as published by a study out on Monday. But not every patient benefited, and the report no longer established the cause and effect. Thus, experts said rigorous clinical trials will have to be done in order to explore the issue some more per Mail Online.

The medical records of almost 400,000 people in the US were analysed for the research conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology. Researchers of the University of Southern California, LA examined the use of four of the most commonly prescribed statins. These are simvastatin, atorvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin.

There was no lower risk in Alzheimer's disease found in black men associated with any statin. But those taking simvastatin like the white, black and Hispanic women, and Hispanic and white men was associated with the lower risk of Alzheimer's. Atorvastatin on the other hand was linked with the lower risk of Alzheimer's among black, white, and Hispanic women and Hispanic men. Consequently, both pravastatin and rosuvastatin were linked with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's for white women.

Overall, women had 15 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's when they took statins, while men saw 12 percent reduced risk. According to the study, this suggests that some patients that are facing multiple, otherwise equal statin options for hyperlipidemia treatment, may be able to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease using one particular statin.

But Rosa Sancho, head of research at the Alzheimer's Research UK, warned about the interpretation of the results. She said although the study highlights the link between the use of statin and lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, it cannot be said from the research that the statins can prevent the disease. There need to be firm evidence from the clinical trials. Otherwise, it would not be recommended to people taking statins for the purpose of preventing Alzheimer's.

Some studies in the past have also suggested that statins may have some protective effect against Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia. However, this studies produced mixed findings, according to Doug Brown, director of the research and development at the Alzheimer's Society.

More clinical trials will have to be made to gather direct evidence of the potency of statins in lowering the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. For more Statins news and latest updates, keep it here on News Everyday. Hit us with your feedback in the comments below.