Preventing Alzheimer's disease, this cholesterol marker has big implications

During a physical exam, many people look at their blood cholesterol levels

Now, a new scientific study points out that "good" cholesterol is also an important indicator of brain health

The researchers recruited 180 people over the age of 60 and analyzed their blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples

At the same time, the researchers administered cognitive tests to a subset of the participants

The researchers observed that the association of higher levels of HDL particles in cerebrospinal fluid with greater cognitive performance was more pronounced in those participants without cognitive decline

Professor Hussein Yassine, who led the study, said: "We found that before cognitive impairment occurs, these small particles are lubricating the system and keeping it healthy

In addition, the researchers found that higher amounts of small-grained HDL in the cerebrospinal fluid were associated with another key indicator: higher levels of amyloid beta 42 in the cerebrospinal fluid

Why high-density lipoprotein particles in cerebrospinal fluid can play a role in protecting brain health, the researchers also made a preliminary explanation in the paper

These hypotheses need to be tested by follow-up studies, including further studies of the structure and function of HDL in the brain to determine whether specific components are exchanged through the blood, brain and cerebrospinal fluid

Note: The original text has been deleted

References:

[1] Ashley E.

[2] Small 'good cholesterol' particles may have a role in Alzheimer's prevention.