Do Statins Really Cause Dementia?

It can be claimed as such, but is it really the case?

Do statins really cause dementia? There have been many differing opinions about what they do. Some claim that it may help to protect one from dementia, while others claim that it may accelerate the onset of dementia.

However, recent research suggests that those who do take lipophilic statins do face issues with regards to the metabolism in their posterior cingulate cortex, which is the part of the brain that gets first hit during the onset of Alzheimer’s.

To clarify things, a lipophilic statin is one that preferentially dissolves in fat. “Lipo” being “fat” and “philic” being “loving”, so a lipophilic statin prefers being surrounded by fat. Whereas a hydrophilic statin is one that preferentially dissolves in water.

(These statins come in different types and forms because every new design gives the manufacturer a chance to develop a profit-chasing patent on it. A lipophilic statin would have its own unique traits and therefore can be patented. A hydrophilic statin would also be patented based on its unique traits.)

But let’s look at what a statin does in the body, because that is where all the action is occurring.

It blocks the activity of the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme, which prevents the synthesis of mevalonate. Mevalonate is an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.

Therefore, it prevents the body from producing fresh cholesterol.

Because when we accumulate too much cholesterol in our body, it can set off a chain reaction that leads to oxidative stress, which eventually leads to the development of heart disease.

That’s what a statin does, pure and simple.

We should not expect it to provide any support for the excretion of cholesterol from our body, and hence that is why some people who are on statin drugs but poor diets end up with a controlled cholesterol level in their body, while their intestines continually re-absorb the waste cholesterol that their liver has eliminated into their intestines for excretion via the faecal channel.

We also do need to be conscious of the other things that statins are NOT responsible for.