Adults who had slightly elevated cholesterol in their early 40s were at greater risk of developing dementia decades later, a new study has found.

While earlier studies had shown a link between high cholesterol in midlife and an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease, “we were surprised to see the association with borderline levels,” said Rachel A. Whitmer, an epidemiologist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and the paper’s senior author. It was published online in Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

The study followed 9,844 members of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Group who had blood work done from 1964 to 1973, when they were 40 to 45.

Of the original participants, 598 received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, a less common form of dementia, from 1994 to 2007, at age 61 to 88.

Those whose total cholesterol had been high - more than 240 milligrams per deciliter - were 57 percent more likely to have developed Alzheimer’s disease than those with optimal levels. Those who had borderline cholesterol values - 200 to 239 milligrams per deciliter - were at 50 percent greater risk of developing vascular dementia.

“What’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” Dr. Whitmer said.


RONI CARYN RABIN