“The study showed clearly that high BMI, high low-density lipoprotein, and high blood pressure were also associated with more dementia,” said Dr. Sattar. “It also showed that being on antihypertensives and cholesterol-lowering tablets gives you a low risk of dementia,” he added. “So, the things we are doing in diabetes to keep blood pressure down, smoking down, and cholesterol down are working and, together with keeping hemoglobin in the normal range, should help to lower the risk of dementia. That’s epidemiology, and we now need the trials to prove it, but it’s going to be very, very tough.”
—Sara Freeman