Lipids & Alzheimer's Disease

Lipids are complex chemical compounds and include many substances, but essentially we use the word "lipids" to mean fats, including cholesterol.
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, which is the single greatest killer in the U.S.
Maintaining control over cholesterol levels can reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. Medical News Today reports that it may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The Source of Cholesterol?

• Meats and dairy products contain cholesterol.

  Cholesterol is a combination of fat and steroids essential for body health and functioning; 80 percent of the cholesterol we need is naturally produced by the body, with the remainder coming from our food.
  Dietary sources include meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Vegetables and other plant sources of food, such as rice, contain no cholesterol.

High and Low Density Cholesterol

• Regular exercise increases good cholesterol.

  In the body, cholesterol attaches to a blood protein, a combination called lipoprotein, defined by the ratio of protein to fat in each molecule.
  High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is mostly protein with very little fat; this is "good" cholesterol. It picks up excess fats in the body, and transports them to the liver for processing. Regular exercise can increase levels of HDL.
  Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol is mostly fat with very little protein. It deposits cholesterol in the blood vessels and is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.

Cholesterol and Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's Disease is characterized by the formation of plaques and tangles within the brain, interfering with and causing the death of healthy neurons. The major constituent of these plaques is a building block of protein (peptide) called amyloid-beta (Aβ or Abeta). Medical News Today reports that research on mice showed a positive correlation between cholesterol and amyloid-beta. When cholesterol intake was lowered, the concentration of amyloid-beta also fell. Reducing cholesterol levels may have a positive effect in protection for Alzheimer's disease; the Nathan S. Kline Institute reports that cholesterol-lowering drugs may be an effective means of reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Theories/Speculation

• Fatty foods may be addictive.

  One of the most significant factors in maintaining or improving the health of our body and brain is the reduction of cholesterol in the diet, though may be harder than it sounds.
  Research at Wisconsin University suggested that a diet high in fats and sugar alters brain chemistry by releasing opioids and reducing the feeling of being full. Essentially, the body becomes "addicted" to high fat- high sugar diets.

Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels

• Vegetables contain no cholesterol.

  Reduce the total amount of fat in the diet, particularly saturated fats (the hard fats from animal products). Replace these with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils, fish, nuts and seeds.
  Eat more fiber such as vegetables, oats, beans and pulses. Eat oily fish at least once a week; it contains "good" omega-3 fats.
  Take regular exercise; this helps the body make "good" LDL and stimulates the brain to produce "feel good" hormones such as endorphins.
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