Alzheimer’s, Cholesterol & Genetics — How to Reduce Your Risk for Dementia

By Timothy Jennings, MD, DFAPA

We can make choices to protect our brains & prevent late-life Alzheimer’s by following some steps proven to prevent dementia & sharpen your mind.

It has been known for more than two decades that elevated cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).[1] It is also known that the ApoE gene produces a protein that transports fats, including cholesterol, into brain cells. In the human population, there are three variants of the ApoE gene. Seven percent of the population has ApoE2 which confers increased risk for atherosclerosis; 79% has ApoE3 which confers no disease risk, and 14% of the population has the ApoE4 variant which increases the risk for AD.

But not everyone with either the ApoE4 gene or elevated cholesterol gets AD. Could there be an interaction between the higher concentrations of cholesterol and a specific ApoE gene variant that does increase the risk? The answer seems to be yes. Research has demonstrated that modulation in cholesterol alters the ApoE gene activity.[2]

The impact of a high-fat diet

Further research has discovered a nexus between these two factors. A high-fat diet was demonstrated to increase insulin resistance…