Statins, or popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, do not guard against Alzheimer’s, according to a new study. However, some Alzheimer’s researchers still remain hopeful.
Lead researcher Thomas Rea of the University of Washington in Seattle and his colleagues studied 2,798 people 65 and older who had no sign of cognitive problems at the beginning of the study. Researchers found that those who took statins developed dementia or Alzheimer’s at about the same rate as those who were not taking the drugs. Statins include Lipitor and Zocor.
Other studies suggest statins help prevent or treat Alzheimer’s and researchers want to test statins on middle-aged people to see if the drugs prevent Alzheimer’s 10 years later. Findings from the recent study are reported in the Archives of Neurology.
