Dementia prevention and statins are again in the news with this study. Previous studies offered contradictory data , some showing an benefit in risk reduction in the development of dementia from statin use while others did not.
The current study is a bit more robust than some of the previous ones as patients were followed over time and periodic tests of cognitive ability were performed and the statins users scored higher.
Another study (a meta-analysis-and thanks to Dr. RW for that reference) offered evidence that post operative onset of atrial fibrillation can be reduced by statins. I guess we could use something new now after those unpleasant, unintended consequences noted from giving almost everyone beta-blockers pre op.
I have marveled before about how many good things can be attributed to statins all of which make me feel good about taking one of them even though my LDL wasn't all that high anyway.
I have written before about the contradictory results regarding statins and risk of colon cancer and commented that another case-control study will not settle that issue (for that matter,any issue) but that is exactly what the NEJM published in the face of previously published dueling case controls studies addressing that issue.
The story of dementia and statins is still being written but maybe in the meanwhile we can keep exercising in the hope that it will keep our hippocampi big and healthy and our frontal lobes relatively free of white matter bright spots.Anyway it would be nice to think so.
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