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High cholesterol in middle age is also identified as a risk factor for dementia.

If you’re middle aged with high blood pressure (140/90 or higher) and high cholesterol your chances of coming down with Alzheimer’s disease in your 60’s or 70’s are greatly increased.

Either one of the conditions increased the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to the research, but those who had both were particularly susceptible to the disorder which is considered the number one cause of dementia in the elderly. Persons with late stage Alzheimer’s have severe memory impairment and are unable to care for themselves.

Because raised blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can be controlled with medication and lifestyle changes the researchers concluded that their results may have important implications for the prevention of dementia.

As the number of elderly people in the population increases, Alzheimer’s disease will have enormous costs in terms of personal health, the quality of life for caretakers and healthcare dollars. “Interventions that could delay the onset of the disease, even modestly, would therefore have a major impact on public health,” the Journal article stated.

Up to 4 million persons in the U.S. and Canada now have AD (Alzheimer’s Disease). The most important risk factors that have been identified prior to this study are a family history of dementia and old age, although aging is not a cause of the disease.

About 10 percent of people older than age 70 have significant memory problems and about half of those are due to AD (Alzheimer’s Disease). Statistically, the number of people with AD doubles each decade past age 70. Because women usually live longer than men, they are more likely to develop AD.