Do Statins Increase Risk For Dementia?

I'm gonna be 82 years old and I've been taking sleeping pills for 30 years. My sleep specialist said that it can temporarily affect my memory, and it doesn't very much, but the point is I'm trying to get off of them and the nights that I don't sleep, I don't take them, I don't sleep. So, which is worse, not sleeping all night or taking the pills. I

do melatonin, I exercise periodically, I'm on a plant-based diet, I don't eat any sugar. I do everything you guys say to do, but I'm addicted to those sleeping pills. See only pill I take. What's your answer? So, Ms. Freeman, thanks very much for your question. Depends on the sleeping pills. Well, certain sleeping pills, especially benzodiazepines can affect thinking and can become fostered dependence and can be

very difficult to come off of them. In general, as you probably know, you probably want to have good sleep hygiene, trying to go to bed the same time every day, waking up at the same time every day, avoiding eating before going to bed, avoiding screens, except maybe for this conference. And others, before you go to bed, if you're on benzodiazepines and the likes, sometimes you can

start by reducing the amount of your taking at each dose, for example. And sometimes I can help people get weaned off these medicines, but get to my earlier comment, sometimes treatments can be more damaging than the disease. I tried a year ago and I ended up in really bad shape because I wasn't sleeping. So, I know, except for this conference. Well, when should I stop using

my phone? It's known in noon. I mean, I'm serious because this is a problem. I do use it as a screen. I can't sleep. So, I turn on the TV to fall asleep and I don't want to do that. But I, I don't know what to do. Should I just wing it and not sleep for a while and get so tired that I have to sleep?

I have to be a doctor to give you better advice, but I'll take what I need. Any answers? I'm sorry. I put my phone when I go to bed. I put my phone in my closet and I leave it there. So, the only thing I see at night is the the newspaper and then my wife and then sleep. So, I think these screens can be very

disrupting to our sleep wake cycles. Exercise can be beneficial for helping promoting sleep, avoiding food at night. Going to bed, getting a new habit can all be helpful, but it can take time. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. I would like to say that for me, exercise is number one for going to sleep. If I don't exercise in a day, I'm in the office

all day long and I really don't get any exercise, I don't sleep well either. But if I do get at least one good session of aerobic exercise, it really helps me sleep. So, do stay within your aerobic limits. But if you can do that, it can really help you sleep. And for me, that's my best way to go to sleep. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Manuel, would you like to ask a question or where are you from? From Ottawa, Canada, my question is, is there a link between aluminum and Alzheimer? Because I would like to change my parts, my cast walls to cast iron. I don't know if you heard about that. If you want to go about aluminum and Alzheimer's. Sure, I'd be happy to. Well, it really depends which studies

you look at. All the studies published by Reynolds, and sponsored by them, and show that aluminum is not a problem at all. And that's just pretty standard. Aluminum actually does not cross the blood brain barrier. That's good news. However, it can be inhaled. And so anti-perspirance often contain aluminum. And that way, it can bypass the blood brain barrier and get into your sinuses and into your

brain. So that's one of the main routes there. On the other hand, I see no reason to use aluminum pots or pans or even aluminum foil. Because aluminum is not a central mineral for humans there. We won't lose anything. By not getting it. And I would say the research is not conclusive. Unless you get the aluminum into your brain, it probably will hurt it. But there

are several routes where you can get it and usually inhaled. So watch out for those things. And of course, aluminum is found in baking powder, certain baking powders and of course, many pans. And it might be a good idea to eliminate it if you're worried about it. But I don't see it as a huge problem. But like I said, to read. Research has been skewed both

ways. So it's hard to make a conclusion. Just one other point, building off Steve's comments about air pollution. Hitchhiking on those tiny little particles that make up small. Or some heavy metals like lead platinum and iron that can then bypass a normal protective mechanisms in our nose and our upper airways. Yes. And likely carry those heavy metals into the brain. I don't think the pots that

you're using would be the mind. Biggest concern. Isabel, would you like to ask a question and where are you from? Yes, please. Hi, I'm from New Zealand. I'm asking because my mom has dementia. She's not 82 and she has dementia since she was 64 when I started. But she always suffer from cholesterol. And she always took satin. And I want the station. Trigger the dementia. Because

the statin has a bad name. Steve, I'll go first. So is well first. So thanks for your question. I'm starting here about your mother's health. So high cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors increase the risk for dementia. Statins. Largely work by decreasing the cholesterol levels and may help decrease lower the risk for heart, certainly for heart disease and may do so for dementia. I think

it's unlikely that the statins themselves are contributing to the dementia that your mom's experiencing. Well, yes, they do decrease cholesterol and cholesterol is a risk factor for dementia. However, statins, which what they do is they reduce the amount of coins I'm 210 that we make in ourselves about 40%. So that the lack of coins I'm Q 10 can cause brain cells to die and mitochondria to

underproduce energy. So brain cells die. So there is a problem studies looking at statins and dementia have come up about even because the good news is they lower the cholesterol and lower the risk and the bad is is they lower the coins I'm Q 10 and raise the risk. There are other ways to lower blood cholesterol. One lady we worked with had a total cholesterol of

384. And she's not going to be able to do that. She lowered that down to 144 with no drugs by dietary changes over the course of one year. So if you can change your cholesterol with diet, as your cholesterol comes down, ask your doctor, please, my cholesterol solo, can I cut my statins in half? And maybe he'll say yes. And then eventually get off of the

statins. So you have only the good benefits of having local cholesterol and not the side effects of the drug. There are other possible side effects of statins, which are muscle problems. And that happened in certain individuals too. All treatments have their side effects. So the more you can do without medicines, the better. Steve, Dr. Dorsey, would you like to make any final comments? We're very grateful

for all the time you've given us tonight. Any final thoughts to wrap up with. Thank you all for attending tonight and listening in on this conference. And thank you also for moderating this talk. I really appreciate the great job you did. Thank you. Thanks very much, Steve. Ensure thanks very much Steve Blake. I was delighted to be part of this great conference and this great panel.

I think we've learned a lot over the last couple hours is that many diseases that we all discussed about over the last couple hours are to a large extent preventable. And it's really a component upon us. And we've learned about the number of individuals and its members of our given communities. To change the course of these diseases we've inherited a world that's largely free of polio.

We've inherited a world that's where HIV is treatable and preventable. We inherited a world where a drinking driving is socially unacceptable. How about we reciprocate and give future generations a world that's largely free of Alzheimer's disease and the largely free of Parkinson's. I can think of few better yet. Thank you.