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The researchers who carried out the study were from the University of New South Wales and St Vincent's Hospital, both in Australia. Analysing the main measures of the tests, researchers found no difference between people who: There was also no difference between these groups in brain volume, as measured by the MRI scan. Doctors might be more likely to prescribe statins to people over 70 who seem to be mentally sharp, rather than people who already seem affected by memory loss. The study found no link between the drugs and mental decline. "That could mean that people prescribed statins have less memory loss - but not because of the statins themselves," said the NHS. Does this mean all cholesterol drugs, not just statins, affect memory? Close menu. In addition, researchers asked people to take MRI brain scans. People who took any kind of cholesterol drug—a statin or some other type—were nearly four times more likely to report memory loss right after starting on the drug, compared with people who didn't take any kind of cholesterol drug. People taking statins are more likely to have heart disease and high blood pressure, which means they are at more risk of dementia in older age. Around half (529) had MRI scans to measure their brain volume, and 408 of them had the scan repeated after 4 years. The NHS however identified a n… It is unclear what the significance of this finding is. Following the study, its researchers concluded that those with concerns about the risks of being prescribed the widely used medication should now feel "reassured" by the findings. The researchers say this is possible. In total, 395 participants had never used statins and 642 had used the medication for an average of nine years before the start of the study. This includes eating a healthier diet and limiting alcohol consumption, with statins likely to be recommended should these measures not help. The researchers said: "Statin use in the elderly population was not associated with any acceleration in decline in memory, global cognition, or brain volumes in community-dwelling elderly Australians." This followed a decision by the UK’s Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to add memory problems to the list of possible statin side-effects … There were additionally 99 people who started taking statins during the study, and researchers found that their rate of memory decline on one test was slower than people who had never used statins. That means it’s hard to understand from the Mail Online story how the researchers carried out the study. When researchers looked at this last group, they found that their rate of memory decline on 1 test was slower than people who had never used statins. The researchers concluded that "statin use in the elderly population was not associated with any acceleration in decline in memory, global cognition, or brain volumes". The NHS acknowledged that, while statins are "widely used drugs" in the UK, there have been some concerns raised over possible side effects. Researchers recruited 1,037 Australian adults aged 70 to 90. Having a high level of this can be dangerous, particularly as it can cause the hardening and narrowing of the arteries as well as cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.