LOW CHOLESTEROL AND MEMORY LOSS
LOW CHOLESTEROL AND MEMORY LOSS
By Dr. Duane Graveline, M.D. MPH (Master of Public Health), from Spacedoc.com
“Brain fog” when on statins has been widely reported and is one of the more common side effects. Do not let your doctor tell you it does not happen. Some researchers say the incidence of statin associated cognitive adverse effect is near 100% if sufficiently sensitive testing methods are used.
But it is not only those that take statins to lower their cholesterol that face cognitive impairment issues, people with naturally low levels of cholesterol also demonstrate poorer performance on a variety of cognitive tests. Researcher Penelope K. Elias MD of Boston University reported this in a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine.
In this study, data was analyzed from 789 men and 1,105 women to examine the relationship between total cholesterol and cognitive performance. They found that those who had the lowest total cholesterol performed more poorly on tests of word similarities, word fluency and attention and concentration ability than patients with higher cholesterol levels. “It is not entirely surprising that lower cholesterol levels were associated with moderately lower levels of cognitive function given that cholesterol is important in brain function,” reported lead study author, Doctor Elias.
“The differences were not small,” she reported. Those in the lowest total cholesterol group (a cholesterol level of under 200) were 49 percent more likely to perform poorly and 80 percent more likely to perform very poorly than were participants in the highest total cholesterol group.
The study was performed with people who had naturally low levels of cholesterol and were not being treated with anti-cholesterol drugs. “Naturally low levels of cholesterol and lowered levels of cholesterol may have very different ramifications for cognitive function,” Elias said.
Matthew Muldoon and others conducted two separate studies on cognitive consequences of induced cholesterol lowering, the first with lovastatin ( Mevacor® ) and the second with simvastatin ( Zocor® ).
In the first of his double blind placebo controlled trials, Muldoon assessed cognitive function and psychological well being in a group of healthy adults (4). Subjects were 24 to 60 years old and had LDL cholesterol levels of 160 mg/dl or higher. Each subject was randomly assigned to receive 20 mg/day of lovastatin or placebo for 6 months.
Serum lipid levels were measured throughout the study. At baseline and at completion of treatment, comprehensive neuropsychological tests were conducted for attention (digit vigilance, letter rotation, digit span, recurring words), psychomotor speed (grooved pegboard, maze, digit symbol), mental flexibility (strobe interference, trail making, digital vigilance, letter rotation), working memory (associated learning, digit span), memory retrieval (controlled word association, and digit symbol recall, verbal recall, complex figure).
Psychological well being was assessed by daily diaries and subject interviews. At 6 month follow up, the placebo group had improved in a statistically significant manner in all five domains of cognitive function.
Three years later Muldoon and his group repeated this study using simvastatin. The results were similar to the lovastatin study.
Failure of many if not most practicing physicians to recognize statin associated cognitive disturbance is clearly evident among the many published, peer reviewed studies involving tens of thousands of patients where significant adverse cognitive effects are consistently denied.
FDA’s own pre-release study of Lipitor documented that 4 to 5 cases of significant cognitive impairment such as amnesia or memory loss would be expected per 1,000 users of the drug. This information was obtained during the clinical evaluation phase of Lipitor where 2,504 volunteers were given varying doses of this drug and followed for one year. During this time all lesser forms of cognitive loss such as confusion, disorientation or forgetfulness were disregarded.
Cognitive impairment may not always be apparent in affected statin users. Often these effects are subtle and difficult to pinpoint or measure. Our brains are not precise instruments and substantial decrement can be present without being evident either to the person or observers.
Dr. Pinna says:
Cholesterol is the fundamental molecule for the structure of all our cells. In particular, our nerve cells are laden with cholesterol. Without cholesterol our nerves cannot function.
Because the pharmaceutical industry has promoted the concept that heart disease is caused by cholesterol people across the world are taking “statin” drugs in order to lower that cholesterol.
If a person’s cholesterol is higher than 270 mg. percent, this medication is indicated, not because of the cholesterol, but because the LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) will also be high.
The real culprit is is the LDL, not the cholesterol by itself. There are a few forms of LDL which are extremely dangerous. These are all caused by a genetic variant.
Hypertension is the next cause of atherosclerosis. The high blood pressure destroys cells in the lining of the arteries. This is a simple mechanical destruction. Molecules of blood hit molecules in cell walls and disrupt their functioning, thereby killing the cell.
When cell death occurs molecules are sent into the blood which initiate inflammation. The process of inflammation has only one goal: wall off the area of dying cells. This goal is necessary for cells that die from any cause; infection, cancer trauma or metabolic disease such as diabetes, atherosclerosis or kidney disease.
One of the key tests done by doctors to determine whether a patient has ongoing atherosclerosis is to determine a marker of inflation, the level of “C REACTIVE PROTEIN.”
CONCLUSION
It is not cholesterol that causes atherosclerosis.
It is one of many other causes, from high blood pressure, the use of tobacco, other poisons such as marijuana and other drugs, diabetes– which is essentially to much glucose, and Low Density lipoproteins which essentially kill the cells that line the arteries.
Cholesterol, a primary building block of all cells, and, especially nerve cells is the “innocent by-stander” who gets caught in the area of the dying cells.
Since Cholesterol is found in the “plaques” of atherosclerosis, it is a “marker” of atherosclerosis, but not its cause.
The Pharmaceutical Industry, seeking high profits, has used the level of cholesterol in the blood stream as a selling point for their high priced drugs: the Statins.
They have hired medical scientists to demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between the level of cholesterol and arterial disease. BUT, they have never proved that cholesterol is the primary cause of such disease.
Unfortunately, lowering cholesterol has many adverse side effects. This article by Dr. Graveline discusses the effect of low cholesterol in memory loss. Memory, of course, is a function of nerve cells that require large quantities of cholesterol.
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Filed Under: Alzheimer's • Blood Pressure • Cholesterol • Health
