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Cholesterol And Alzheimer's

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We know that cholesterol and the management of cholesterol levels is important to prevent heart disease.

But what about the relationship between cholesterol and Alzheimer's dementia?

Researchers report that people between the ages of 75-84 who have elevated cholesterol have a 50 percent increased risk of dementia.

But between the ages of 85 and 94 an increased cholesterol level actually reduces the risk for dementia by as much as a third.

This is information from the famous Framingham heart study and it is something that many studies don't look at.

There is a difference in metabolism as people age and some of the things we take for granted during most of our adult years can differ as we reach our 80s and 90s.

This particular study shows we probably should not be as worried about cholesterol levels after the age of 85. The very young and the very old have metabolic processes that work quite differently then throughout most of our lives.

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