High cholesterol linked to lower Alzheimer's risk (Opinion)

Friday, January 28, 2011 by: Emma Martinez
Tags: cholesterol, Alzheimer's, health news

(NewsTarget) A study reported in the December edition of the Archives of Neurology has found that higher levels of cholesterol may protect the elderly from Alzheimer`s. http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/sho... The study was conducted by Christiane Reitz and colleagues at Columbia University`s Taub Institute.

The authors measured the amount of HDL (High Density Lipoprotein - the so-called good cholesterol) in the blood of 1,130 individuals aged 65 or older, with no symptoms of Alzheimer`s. At the end of the study, it was shown that higher levels of total cholesterol (including the demonized Low Density Lipoprotein LDL ) were associated with an overall decreased risk of Alzheimer`s. The conclusions suggest that there is no good and bad cholesterol; there is just cholesterol. http://www.drrosedale.com/rosedale_writing.h...

With these findings, and those of another recent study of children with high cholesterol, we may be witnessing the start of a revision in the way mainstream medicine views what is in fact an essential fat.

In July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that children with very high levels of cholesterol (LDL levels of 160mg/dL) often saw those levels reduce naturally over time. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66I0VL...
The report called into question the suitability of using cholesterol lowering drugs on children. It should also be noted that there are no studies available as to the effectiveness and related side effects of administering these drugs to kids.

The standard view repeated by the media and allopathic medicine is that cholesterol is a high risk factor for heart disease. What the mainstream view of cholesterol doesn`t tell us is just how important this fat is to general health, particularly to the heart and brain. Cholesterol is the precursor to the production of such hormones as estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and cortisone. Forcing a reduction in blood levels in children may jeopardize their normal sexual development.

The brain`s neurons need cholesterol to replicate; without it you inhibit your ability to lay down new memories and compromise normal brain functioning. It is also produced in the brain, where it is a necessary component in the sending and receiving of nerve impulses. Statins, the best selling cholesterol lowering drugs, are known to cause memory loss by blocking the production of cholesterol. Transient global amnesia (TGA), when a person forgets major details of his/her life for several hours, has increasingly been linked to statin drugs. When this happened to former astronaut Dr. Duane Graveline in 1999, he set up a web site documenting the side effects of statins. http://spacedoc.net/
Reports of similar TGA episodes are emerging from around the world.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/4974840/Wo...

Blood levels of this fat are largely self-produced: 75% is generated by your liver, while only 25% comes from diet. While statins block your normal ability to produce cholesterol, they also block your body`s supply of coenzyme Q10, a vital ingredient to the mitochondria responsible for energy production. The heart has the body`s highest concentration of mitochondria, and therefore statin drugs are actually counter productive to good heart health.

In the light of these facts it would appear that drastically lowering cholesterol levels could put your life, and your memory at risk.

SOURCES:
http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/sho...
http://www.drrosedale.com/rosedale_writing.h... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66I0VL... http://spacedoc.net/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/4974840/Wo...

About the author

Emma is an accomplished classical guitarist living in Southern Spain with her daughter. She is the author of Flamenco-All You Wanted To Know. She now focuses on disease prevention thru nutrition and life-style, including the
mind-body-spirit connection.