Statins can 'protect against Alzheimer's disease'

By taking statins, people may be able to protect themselves further against the effects of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, new research has found.

The University of Groningen in the Netherlands found that high cholesterol levels are a major risk factor in developing both cardiovascular diseases as well as Alzheimer's disease, which is believed to affect around 700,000 people in the UK in one form or another.

Dr Amalia Dolga, the lead researcher at the institution, explained that by treating individuals with lovastatin, nerve cells in the brain could be halted from dying, with a number of experiments on animals confirming this to be the case.

Furthermore, this use of statins could also stop the chance of memory capacity loss which is associated with cell death.

The leading charity dealing with the condition, the Alzheimer's Society, works across the UK from over 250 locations and helps fund and provide day care and home care for sufferers.

Please click here for advice to help you find the right type of care.