Latest Study Says Statins Don't Slow Alzheimer's

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Statins are excellent drugs for lowering cholesterol, Thies said. "But there is no recommendation that you take statins for Alzheimer's disease," he added.

Larry Sparks, director of the Roberts Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona and one of the first to link statins with Alzheimer's prevention, doesn't think the study was large enough to give a definitive result.

In his own work, Sparks has found a benefit from statins in treating patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. However, he thinks the type of statin makes a difference.

"Research suggests that statins that don't get into the brain may prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer's," Sparks said. "This is a continuing story."

More information

For more on Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.