New study in the July issue of the American Heart Association’s journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology links the so-called “good” cholesterol with loss of memory, a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease.

Previous research has linked HDL cholesterol with reducing the risk of heart disease.

More exactly, researchers at University College London and the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (the French equivalent of the U.S. National Institutes of health) conducted by Dr. Archana Singh-Manoux measured good HDL cholesterol levels of 3,673 British civil servants aged 55 and then asked them to memorize 20 words as part of short-term memory test.

The study found that at the age 55, the participants with lower HDL levels were 27 percent more likely to have memory loss than those with high levels. High levels of HDL cholesterol were defined as 60 mg/dL or higher.

At the age of 60, the participants were tested again revealing an even greater difference in memory linked to HDL levels. More exactly, memory problems were 53 percent more common in those with the least HDL by the time they hit age 60.

“Our results show HDL cholesterol to be important for memory, so physicians and patients should be encouraged to monitor HDL, Dr. Singh-Manoux said.

However promising these findings are, they “should be approached with caution,” according to Anatol Kontush, research director at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, who said, in accompanying editorial, that it is too little information to start modifying levels of HDL in order to prevent Alzheimer’s. Therefore, more study needs to be done.

Until further information is available people could help raise their HDL levels by adopting a healthy lifestyle, which includes weekly exercising, losing weight, stop smoking, modest amounts of alcohol and avoiding saturated fats.

About 5.2 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, a number that is expected to grow as the baby boom generation ages. About 16 million people are forecast to have Alzheimer’s by 2050, as existing drugs can ease symptoms but do not stop the disease from developing. The disease already afflicts one in eight people 65 and older and nearly one in two people over 85.