|
Bad for your heart...good for your head.
Researchers from Boston University looking at data from the Framingham Heart Study have found a link between high cholesterol and better cognitive performance. They looked at 18 years of data from the longest running heart study which revealed an association between naturally high levels of blood cholesterol and better mental functioning.
Published in a recent Psychosomatic Medicine, scientists isolated blood cholesterol from other risk factors and observed that there was modestly better mental functioning in areas such as visual organization, memory, attention and concentration in individuals with naturally occuring high cholesterol. High cholesterol was defined as > 240 mg/dL as measured in blood samples.
Cholesterol is important for brain development in infants and plays a role in how neurons work in adults. High blood cholesterol level is still considered a risk factor for stroke and heart disease, however, and physicians may decide that those risks outweigh any modest benefits for cognitive function. Scientists have not yet determined whether lowering cholesterol with medication will influence mental functioning. It would also be interesting to study if there is a difference between lowering cholesterol with current medications versus naturally low cholesterol. The study also did not differentiate between the influence of HDL or LDL in these results.
The Framingham Heart Study began in 1955 and has followed three generations of participants, measuring the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke and determining the risk of various associated factors. The study, based in Framingham, Mass., started before cardiovascular risk factors for heart disease and stroke were well understood and before patients were routinely treated with cholesterol-lowering medications.
There has been some discussion over the last few years about the possible neuroprotective activity of cholesterol, especially in stroke and Alzheimer's disease. A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) found that low serum total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol are associated with slow visuomotor speed in young and middle-aged men. More studies that evaluate cholesterol levels (high and low) and the impact on mental functioning certainly need to be done.
11:06:06 PM 
|
|
