A specific type of “good” cholesterol might play a vital role in maintaining brain health, according to new research that could change how doctors think about protecting cognitive function as people age.
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that higher levels of small-particle HDL cholesterol were linked to greater brain gray matter volume in middle-aged adults. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, examined 1,826 participants aged 35 to 70 from the Dallas Heart Study.
“Our study has identified a novel role of HDL cholesterol function in maintaining gray matter volume in the brain, which is important for cognitive function in middle-aged adults,” said John Giacona, Ph.D., the study’s first author and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern.
The research team followed participants over multiple years, measuring their cholesterol levels and brain volume using magnetic resonance imaging. Unlike previous studies that showed mixed results when looking at total HDL levels, this study found that specifically the smallest HDL particles, which can cross the blood-brain barrier, showed the strongest connection to brain health.
“Previous research has shown conflicting evidence regarding the concentration of HDL cholesterol in development of dementia or brain atrophy,” explained senior author Wanpen Vongpatanasin, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern. “However, the concentration of HDL cholesterol may not reflect their function.”
HDL helps remove excess “bad” cholesterol from blood vessels by transporting it to the liver for breakdown. The research suggests that small HDL particles may have additional protective effects in the brain, though scientists are still working to understand exactly how this process works.
The findings could lead to new ways of identifying people at risk of cognitive decline before symptoms appear. The researchers note that measuring HDL function or levels of small HDL particles might serve as early warning signs, though additional studies would be needed to confirm this connection.
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