second most common neurodegenerative disease, which
affects movement. “We know that overall weight of the
literature favors that higher cholesterol is associated with
beneficial outcomes in Parkinson’s disease, so it’s possible
that statins take away that protection by treating the high
cholesterol,” senior study author and vice chair for research
at Penn State College of Medicine Xuemei Huang said in an
interview with the website Medscape. (We’ll return to statins
later in this chapter.)
FAQ: If cholesterol is so good for the brain, I should eat
more of it, right?
A: Feel free to enjoy foods that contain cholesterol; just
know that there is no need to chase it as a nutrient. This is
because the brain naturally produces all the cholesterol it
needs. It’s more important to ensure the body’s cholesterol
system stays healthy, and to avoid (as best as possible)
medications such as certain statins that might interfere with
this synthesis. More on this momentarily.
Cholesterol’s duties below the neck affect the brain in
important ways as well. It is required to create bile acids,
which are essential for the absorption of brain-building fats
and protective fat-soluble nutrients. We use cholesterol for
the synthesis of many brain-protective hormones such as
testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. In concert