Scientists and researchers seem to be inching closer to cracking the riddle of memory loss and dementia and thereby come up with a solution for Alzheimer’s with a new study showing that statins can play a crucial role in reducing the risk of memory loss and dementia in patients.
The study found that statins, which are usually used to control cholesterol levels and bring down the risk of cardiac disease incidence, can bring about a 50% reduction in the risk of dementia setting in.
The finding was the culmination of a five-year project that involved a study of 1,674 Mexican Americans who had the maximum possibility of contracting dementia. All the subjects in the study were at least 60 years old. Approximately one-third of the study subjects took a statin and only 130 developed dementia eventually.
This finding complements other findings generated through other studies recently, which indicate that blood pressure reducing drugs have a 50% chance of reducing the possibility of dementia in the subject.
Speaking about their findings, lead researcher Prof. Mary Haan said, “The bottom line is that if a person takes statins over a course of about five to seven years, it reduces the risk of dementia by half, and that's a really big change.”
One of the possible links between statin usage and the probability of reduced dementia risk could be the fact that researchers have believed dementia to be caused by a reduction in the amount of blood flowing to the head. Researchers have asserted that by clearing blood vessels that have been blocked, statins also could reduce dementia risk.
However, that is just an assertion. There is still not much clarity on how the statins impact the biochemical pathways that are such an integral part of dementia studies. Elaborating on this, Prof. Haan said it was possible that statins actually lowered insulin production in the body. The hormone has been associated with dementia.
Speaking about the findings of the study, the Alzheimer’s Research Trust’s Rebecca Wood sounded optimistic, while issuing a word of caution at the same time. She said, “People should not take statins unless medically advised to do as, as side-effects can be unpleasant. We need much more research into this possible prevention for dementia.”
Another person weighing in with his opinion was Dr. Clive Ballard from the Alzheimer’s Society. He said, “The jury is still out on how effective they are, but this study adds to growing evidence that they may have some benefits. All drugs have some side-effects so it is important to seek professional advice about medication.”
The findings bring a ray of hope to all patients suffering from memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s, and that is no small number, with the U.K. alone reporting 700,000 people with Alzheimer’s.
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