Cholesterol, statins and dementia: what’s the link?
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Alzheimer's Research UK
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On 03 November 2025
What is good for our heart is also good for our brain. That includes keeping our cholesterol levels in a healthy range. Recent research found that having high cholesterol in mid-life can increase our risk of dementia. But what about statins – the medicines used to treat it?
People often ask our Dementia Research Infoline if statins cause dementia. But research has not found strong evidence that statins can make someone more likely to develop dementia.
In fact, some studies suggest that statins may even have protective effects for certain groups of people.
What are statins?
Statins are a group of medicines prescribed to people who have high cholesterol or are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack or stroke.
But what actually is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of fat found in our blood. Our bodies need some cholesterol to stay healthy. It helps make important things like hormones and vitamin D.
But there are different types of cholesterol:
- LDL cholesterol is often called “bad” cholesterol. Too much of it can clog up our blood vessels and increase our risk of stroke, heart disease and dementia.
- HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol. It helps remove the bad cholesterol from our blood.
When people talk about high cholesterol, they usually mean there is too much LDL or total cholesterol in the blood.
Over half of UK adults have raised cholesterol levels. Having high cholesterol in our 40s, 50s and 60s is associated with a higher risk of dementia.
You can find out more about what causes high cholesterol here.
The NHS recommends the following:
- HDL (good cholesterol): above 1.0 mmol per litre for men, and above 1.2 mmol per litre for women
- LDL (bad cholesterol): between 1.3 and 4 mmol per litre
- Total cholesterol: between 3.1 and 5 mmol per litre
(Cholesterol is measured in millimoles per litre – written as mmol/L – which shows how much cholesterol is in your blood.)
If you are worried about your cholesterol, speak to your doctor. You may be offered a test at your local pharmacy or as part of an NHS Health Check.
How do statins work?
Statins are medicines that lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. They are usually given to people who have high cholesterol and are at risk of heart disease or stroke.
Statins work by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood. Some studies also suggest they may help increase HDL (good) cholesterol.
It is important to have regular check-ups if you take statins. Very low cholesterol levels can also be harmful, so your doctor will help you find the right balance.
Do statins cause side effects?
Although statins are usually well tolerated, some people report side effects such as muscle pain and headaches.
But research suggests that side effects may not necessarily be caused by the statins themselves. In some studies, people reported side effects even when they were given a dummy drug, or ‘placebo’.
Of course, this isn’t the case for everyone. Some people may be more likely to experience side effects due to other factors.
For a small number of people, short-term use of statins can cause memory loss and confusion. But these problems stop after stopping the medication. This suggests that the memory loss is not related to dementia, which would continue to get worse even when statins are stopped.
If statins don’t work for you speak to your GP. They may recommend alternative methods to manage high cholesterol, such as lifestyle changes and non-statin medications.
What does recent research show about statins and dementia risk?
Some early animal studies looked at whether statins might cause memory problems. But these studies were small, and we don’t know if the results apply to humans.
There has been far more research looking at the potential that statins have to reduce our risk of dementia.
In 2024, a major international review of dementia research co-funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK added high LDL cholesterol to the list of risk factors we may be able to influence. It found that managing cholesterol levels, especially in midlife, could help reduce the risk of dementia later on.
In fact, high cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors we can influence. Research suggests that if everyone managed their cholesterol levels, there could be seven fewer cases of dementia for every 100 people who would otherwise develop it.
This builds on earlier research showing that protecting heart health by treating high blood pressure, stopping smoking, and lowering cholesterol also supports brain health.
Other research has examined data from different observational studies. They found that statin use was linked to a reduced risk of dementia.
But, this type of evidence can’t be used to say that statins cause a lower dementia risk. That’s because observational studies can show patterns, but they can’t rule out other factors that might explain the results.
So while statins may help protect brain health, we can’t say for certain that taking statins directly reduces the risk of dementia. It might be that statins help by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are themselves linked to dementia. There may also be other effects we don’t fully understand yet.
What can we conclude from the research so far?
There is currently no robust evidence to suggest statins increase dementia risk.
But there is evidence that untreated high cholesterol can increase dementia risk. And other studies show a possible link between statin use and a lower risk of dementia.
So, we can’t say that statins are a sure-fire way to prevent the diseases that cause dementia, such as Alzheimer’s. But by taking steps to manage or treat cholesterol levels, we do know you’ll be improving your brain health.
You can find out more about risk factors you can influence and ways to protect our brain health by taking the Think Brain Health Check-in.
If you have any more questions about statins, cholesterol and dementia risk, contact the Alzheimer’s Research UK Infoline Team on 0300 111 5111 or infoline@alzheimersresearchuk.org
About the author
Alzheimer's Research UK
Good advice, thank you.
I agree
Thank you for this article as my Mum had dementia and was taking Statins, so it helps to be reassured that this was not making her worse. Also, we will definitely now try and reduce our cholesterol levels through diet.
Hi Jill, I’m sorry to hear about your Mum’s diagnosis. Thank you for your feedback, I’m glad that you have found it helpful!
Do statins increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?
Hi Diane, thanks for your question.
Whether or not someone develops dementia is due to a mixture of lots of different factors, including our age, genes, lifestyle, health and environment. So, whether someone develops dementia is not just due to whether someone is taking statins. You can find out about other risk factors for dementia here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/dementia-information/dementia-risk/
While there has been some speculation about a link between statins and dementia, research so far has not found strong evidence linking statins to an increased risk of dementia. Some studies suggest that statins may even have protective effects for certain groups of people, such as people with high cholesterol.
There are two types of cholesterol: good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol. Statins specifically lower levels of bad cholesterol.
The medical term ‘high cholesterol’ specifically refers to high levels of bad cholesterol. There is robust evidence to suggest that this condition can increase dementia risk. Since statins reduce bad cholesterol, they have been found to actually decrease our risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
Looking after our heart health is important for our brain health, too. Statins are often prescribed to reduce the risk of other incidences like stroke or heart attack. Both of these can increase dementia risk.
We recently published a longer explainer on this topic with more information: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/cholesterol-statins-and-dementia-whats-the-link/
Hi Jill, snap my mum has dementia and has been on statins for as long as I can remember and now the doctors want me on statins and I refused as I thought it can cause dementia. Glad I’ve read this information.
I have ischemic collections of statin resulting in a diagnosis of mild impairment. I’m currently taking ROSUVOSTATIN FOR MY HIGH CHOLESTEROL [MY BODY MAKES CHOLESTEROL] . Would another statin that can penetrate the blood brain barrier be effective at reducing the existing neural cholesterol?
Hi David, thank you for your question. Your GP is the best person to speak to about any medication changes. They will have access to your medical history and will be able to give you the best advice. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again.
Well written, commonsense article. There is so much ill – informed commentary on social media about the “dangers” of statins and it is hard for the medical profession and organisations like yours to cut through the noise.
PS. Im 72, I had a stroke 6 6ears ago, I am on statins and I am not suffering from dementia. I have no side effects from taking statins.
I take statins Been on them for many years now my family have noticed a change in my memory I repeat myself very often within 5 seconds of just asking the question it’s now a little worrying now ime going to speak to my doctor and see if there is an alternative medication I can take if not ime not going to take them
Hi Darren, thanks for your comment. The best thing to do if you’re worried about your memory and thinking is to speak to your GP. They can run some tests, like a blood test, to find out whether any other conditions might be causing your symptoms. As you mentioned, they’ll also look at your medications to see whether there are any alternative options. Find out more: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/dementia-information/getting-a-dementia-diagnosis/
It is also useful to know that the older you get, the lower your level of the bad LDL cholesterol needs to be.
I was quite surprised to be told mine was too high when it was actually lower than it was a few years ago!
Statins here I come.
It sounds to me, no definitive research has been done on statins. Maybe someone should study the statins that don’t cross the blood brain barrier like pravastatin vs all the other statins that do cross and look at those stats for dementia etc. Soon like this year
Hi Linda, there has been some research studying statins that do cross the blood brain barrier, statins that do not cross the blood brain barrier, and dementia risk.
One large study from Feb 2026 studied both statins that crossed the blood brain barrier and statins that did not cross the blood brain barrier in 125 million people who had been diagnosed with dyslipidaemia (high LDL cholesterol). They found that both types of statins reduced dementia risk in these people with dyslipidaemia. Another large study from 2025 also found that both types of statins could reduce dementia risk in the people they studied. This is further evidence that treating high levels of LDL cholesterol with statins could reduce someone’s risk of developing dementia.
It is thought that people who have healthy cholesterol levels do not get a reduced risk of dementia by taking statins.