Health Tip of the Week, sponsored by Baton Rouge General: ‘Good’ cholesterol linked to increased risk of dementia

New research suggests that either a high or a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly known as “good” cholesterol, is linked to an increased risk of dementia in older adults. HDL cholesterol is considered “good” because it can lower the risk of heart disease by removing other forms of cholesterol from the bloodstream and taking it back to the liver where it’s broken down and removed from the body. It was found that that those with the highest levels of HDL cholesterol were 15 percent more likely to develop dementia and those with the lowest levels had a 7 percent higher rate of developing dementia compared to older adults with middle range HDL cholesterol levels. Learn more about the link between cholesterol and dementia.