A new study has linked increased HDL, the “good” kind of cholesterol, with a decreased risk of memory loss with age. Doctors say keeping your HDL up benefits your mind and your body. The study tested 3,000 British subjects to find their levels of HDL cholesterol and then asked them to try to memorize 20 words.

It found that at age 55, the subjects with lower HDL levels had a 27 percent increased risk of memory loss compared with those with high HDL. The same subjects, tested again at age 60, showed an even greater difference in memory linked to HDL levels.

On “Good Morning America,” medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson said that although there is no definitive theory as to the nature of the link between HDL and memory, there are several theories.

First, good cholestoral, HDL, can help keep bad cholesterol out of the arteries, which decreases the risk of heart attack and strokes, reducing the damage to the brain that many suffer as a consequence of these ailments.

Second, the HDL may improve the connections between nerves in the brain.

Third, HDL may help control the formation of something called beta analoids, “which is a major component of the plagues that are found in Alzheimer’s patients,” Johnson explained.

Posted by Zoov on 03 Jul 2008 02:44 am
Filed Under: Life, Sci-Tech |