Statins cut dementia risk by 15% in type 2 diabetes patients, study finds

The largest study of its kind shows that early statin use in people with type 2 diabetes reduces their risk of dementia by 15 percent, in addition to protecting against cardiovascular disease. Presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich and published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, the study analyzed data from over 132,000 people in Denmark. Those who began statins within one year of a diabetes diagnosis had a 15 percent lower dementia risk over ten years, while those starting within five years saw a 10 percent reduction. Untreated diabetes increases dementia risk up to fourfold for vascular dementia and twofold for Alzheimer's. Experts note statins are widely available and inexpensive, though further research is needed to confirm the observed effect is directly caused by the medication.