Cholesterol-Lowering Statins May Reduce Dementia Risk by 63%, Study Says

Statins help people manage high cholesterol levels, but many experts want to know if these drugs can also support brain health.

A new meta-analysis out of Brazil might hold some clues. Using data from 55 observational studies and 7 million patients, the research team found that taking statins was associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“[W]hile it is too early to prescribe statins solely for dementia prevention, their potential benefits—combined with their widespread use and affordability—underscore the importance of continued research into their role in neuroprotection,” said Fernando Luiz Westphal Filho, MS, first author of the study and undergraduate teaching assistant of neurology and neurosurgery at the Clinical Surgery Department at the Federal University of Amazonas in Brazil.

According to the study, people who stayed on statins for at least three years had a 63% reduction in dementia risk. These findings suggest people may need to stay on the drugs long-term for significant cognitive protection, he added.

How Are Brain and Heart Health Connected?

Last year, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific statement highlighting the connection between heart and brain health. Heart disease and high blood pressure reduce blood flow to the brain and impair cognitive function. People with heart disease have a 27% greater chance of developing dementia compared to those without heart disease.

Statins lower cholesterol and help open blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the brain, Paul Schulz, MD, director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at UTHealth Houston, told Verywell.

“Blood flow may be important for removing amyloid plaques,” Schulz said. Amyloid plaques build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and harm cell function. A few FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs that help slow disease progression work to reduce amyloid plaques.

Long-term inflammation may also harm brain cells and contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Since statins can adjust inflammatory pathways, the medications may help reduce nerve cell damage, said Westphal Filho.

Can Statins Cause Cognitive Problems?

A 2021 report found an association between lipophilic statins—a type of medication that easily crosses cell membranes—and increased dementia risk in people who did not have high cholesterol but had some mild cognitive impairment.

High cholesterol can block blood flow to the brain, contributing to dementia development.

“It’s not surprising that you might see some benefit when you’re looking at people who do have high cholesterol levels,” said Daniel H. Silverman, MD, PhD, head of the Neuronuclear Imaging Section of the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division at UCLA Medical Center and senior author of the 2021 study.

However, people with low cholesterol levels who are still taking lipophilic statins wouldn’t get the drug’s main intended benefit. They may want to speak with their healthcare provider to determine if these medications are causing more harm than good, he added.

Is Memory Loss a Side Effect of Statins?

In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also warned that statins may cause some cognitive issues, specifically memory loss and confusion.

This FDA warning was based on self-reports in MedWatch, the agency’s reporting platform for adverse events associated with medications.

Researchers have tried to find evidence to support these self-reports, but most research has not found strong evidence connecting statin use with cognitive issues.

The FDA has even said that cognitive impairment is rare and not serious, and it typically goes away shortly after people stop taking statins.

Despite these self-reports, statins would likely reduce the risk of vascular cognitive impairment, which is often caused by blood vessel damage and coexists with other forms of dementia, Karen Alexander, MD, a cardiologist at Duke Health, told Verywell.

When Will More Information Be Available?

Most existing statin and cognitive health studies are observational, not the “gold-standard” randomized controlled trials. Observational studies risk certain biases that could influence the results.

Two ongoing clinical trials–STAREE and PREVENTABLE—will help researchers better understand how statins directly influence dementia risk.

Thousands of participants have been enrolled in both trials and cognitive harm is “very unlikely” since data safety monitoring boards have not stopped either study for this reason, said Alexander, the principal investigator of the PREVENTABLE study.

“Stay tuned in the coming two to three years for more information coming from these likely definitive studies,” she said.