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| Western/Central Washington State Chapter eNews | |||
| October 3, 2007 | |||
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Heart Drugs May Protect the Brain
People who take statin drugs may be less likely to develop the brain changes that signal Alzheimer’s disease, University of Washington School of Medicine researchers report.  Statins are widely prescribed to lower cholesterol in people who have or are at risk for heart disease. They include atorvastatin (Lipitor®), lovastatin (Mevacor®), rosuvastatin (Crestor®) and simvastatin (Zocor®).The study is the first to compare the brains of people who had received statins with those who had not. After controlling for variables including age at death, gender and strokes in the brain, the researchers found significantly fewer tangles in the brains of people who had taken statins than in those who had not. The scientists examined 110 participants, aged 65 to 79, who donated their brains for research, including a random sample of those without signs of dementia when enrolled. A joint project of Group Health and the University of Washington, the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study began in 1994. More studies are needed to determine more precisely which individuals will benefit from which types of statins for preventing the changes of Alzheimer’s disease.
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| © 2008 ALZWA | ||
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