Study title and authors:
Serum Cholesterol and Cognitive Performance in the Framingham Heart Study
Penelope K. Elias, PhD, Merrill F. Elias, PhD, Ralph B. D’Agostino, PhD, Lisa M. Sullivan, PhD and Philip A. Wolf, MD
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15673620
Cognitive performance is a measurement of learning, memory, attention/concentration, abstract reasoning, concept formation, and organizational abilities.
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cholesterol levels and cognitive performance. Cognitive tests were administered to 789 men and 1105 women who were free of dementia and stroke and were then followed over a 16- to 18-year period.
The study found those with the highest cholesterol levels scored 80% higher in the cognitive tests compared to those with the lowest cholesterol levels.
The results of the study show that higher cholesterol levels are associated with higher intelligence.