Midlife indicators may signify later Alzheimer's

August 6, 2009 Even cholesterol levels considered only borderline elevated can have a large effect, according to a California study.

The study involved nearly 10,000 men and women between the ages of 40 and 45 who had high cholesterol.

After 30 years, 469 study participants had Alzheimer's disease and 127 had vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia.

The researchers concluded that the risk of Alzheimer's disease was 57 percent higher in people who had high cholesterol levels in midlife.

This study is in the Journal of Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.