Low cholesterol levels are associated with poor memory

This study was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 2008 Aug;28(8):1556-62

Study title and authors:

Low HDL cholesterol is a risk factor for deficit and decline in memory in midlife: the Whitehall II study.

Singh-Manoux A, Gimeno D, Kivimaki M, Brunner E, Marmot MG.

INSERM U687-IFR69, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Bât 15/16, 16 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 94807 Villejuif Cedex, France. Archana.Singh-Manoux@inserm.fr

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18591462

The study investigated the association of cholesterol levels with memory. 3,673 male and female participants, average age 61, were subjected to a short-term verbal memory test.

The study found:
(a) Poor memory was found in 53% more subjects with the lowest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, below 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L), compared to those with the highest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, above 60 mg/dL (1.5 mmol/L).
(b) Poor memory was found in 10% more subjects with the lowest levels of cholesterol, below 200 mg/dL (5.1 mmol/L), compared to those with the highest levels of cholesterol 240 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L).

The results of the study indicate that low cholesterol levels are associated with poor memory.

Links to other studies:
High cholesterol levels boost memory function
High cholesterol levels are associated with higher intelligence