- 138studies in the library match, of 29,780
- 62name it in the title
- 1998–2026years published
- 135peer-reviewed articles
The query: title or abstract mentions "statin" or a named statin (atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin), matched case-insensitively against each record's title and abstract (its summary field) in alzhub's library of 29,780 study records, as of 2026-11-09. Every count on this page comes from that match. The matched list as JSON.
Cholesterol metabolism is linked to Alzheimer's through the APOE gene and through blood-vessel health. Early observational studies suggested people taking statins developed dementia less often, but people prescribed statins differ from those who are not, and randomised trials testing statins as a treatment for established Alzheimer's did not show a benefit. There have also been reports of reversible memory complaints on statins.
This page describes what published research in alzhub's library reports. It is not medical advice and does not apply to any one person: a doctor who knows the person's history is the only one who can say what a result or a treatment means for them.
What the studies report, in their own words
Whole sentences copied from the abstract or key findings of the highest-scoring matched studies, chosen because they mention the subject and give a figure. 8 of the 138 matched records are quoted; each links to its study page and from there to the paper.
“Pathway-based analyses demonstrate significant enrichment of lipid metabolism, autoimmunity, lipase inhibitors, PD-1 signalling, and statin mechanisms, among others, for AD and GIT traits.”
“Conclusions In this large-scale randomized controlled trial evaluating statin therapy as a treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, atorvastatin was not associated with significant clinical benefit over 72 weeks.”
“Overall, simvastatin did not significantly alter cerebrospinal fluid levels of Abeta40 and Abeta42.”
“Digit Symbol Substitution Testing (a well-validated measure of cognitive function) was the most common short-term end point, with no significant differences in the mean change from baseline to follow-up between the statin and placebo groups (mean change, 1.65; 95% CI, -0.03 to 3.32; 296 total exposures in 3 trials).”
“All NDD incidence for all statins, except for fluvastatin (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.65-1.30; P = 0.71), was reduced with variances in individual risk profiles.”
“Results A total of 406 individuals were randomized: 204 to simvastatin and 202 to placebo.”
“Results Overall, 452 of 1,674 participants (27%) took statins at any time during the study.”
“Fourteen (56%) of 25 patients noted improvement when the statin was discontinued.”
What kind of evidence it is
By study design
| Design (as recorded) | Studies |
|---|---|
| Systematic review or meta-analysis | 7 |
| Randomised controlled trial | 10 |
| Other clinical trial | 2 |
| Cohort or longitudinal study | 24 |
| Case-control study | 3 |
| Cross-sectional study | 6 |
| Other recorded design | 3 |
| No design recorded | 83 |
The design is the one named in alzhub's record for the study; a record with none is counted as "no design recorded".
By year
| Year | Studies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 11 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 7 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 9 | |
| 2016 and earlier | 88 |
Other counts within the matched set
| Peer-reviewed articles | 135 |
| Marked open access in the record | 35 |
| Rated "high" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 44 |
| Rated "moderate" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 26 |
| Rated "low" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 65 |
| No evidence-strength rating | 3 |
| Records stating a participant count | 54 |
| Median participants (those records) | 1,435 |
| Largest participant count | 2,577,000 |
Within the 138 matched studies
| Studies… | Count | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| …that are randomised trials or mention one | 37 | the abstract also contains "randomised" or "placebo" |
| …that also mention cholesterol | 54 | the abstract also contains "cholesterol" |
| …that report a hazard ratio | 20 | the abstract also contains "hazard ratio" or "HR" |
The 10 highest-scoring matched studies
Title matches first, then by alzhub's usefulness score, which rates a study's design, journal, evidence and recency, not whether its result is good news.
- Statins for the prevention of dementia
- Treatment with simvastatin in normocholesterolemic patients with Alzheimer's disease: A 26-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial
- Do statins impair cognition? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Statins and cognition: a systematic review and meta-analysis of short- and long-term cognitive effects
- Statin therapy and risk of Alzheimer's and age-related neurodegenerative diseases
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of simvastatin to treat Alzheimer disease
- Design and rationale of the EBBINGHAUS trial: A phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study to assess the effect of evolocumab on cognitive function in patients with clinically evident cardiovascular disease and receiving statin background lipid-lowering therapy-A cognitive study of patients enrolled in the FOURIER trial
- Use of statins and incidence of dementia and cognitive impairment without dementia in a cohort study
- Statin-associated memory loss: analysis of 60 case reports and review of the literature
- Pravastatin and cognitive function in the elderly. Results of the PROSPER study
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the set
7 of the matched records are recorded as a systematic review, meta-analysis or umbrella review; the highest-scoring not already listed above:
- A large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis reveals shared genetic architecture between Alzheimer's disease and gastrointestinal tract disorders
- Benzodiazepine Use and Risk of Dementia in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Risk factors associated with the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review of the evidence
- Statin use and risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
- Meta-analysis of modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease
Newest matched studies
- Baseline Statin Exposure and Incident Acute Myocardial Infarction in Adults Aged >=75 Years Without Prior Cardiovascular Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study
- Repurposing probucol for prevention of dementia: a nationwide cohort study
- Effect of initiating an ARB- versus ACEI-based regimen on dementia risk, a target trial emulation of 2.5 million US Veterans
- Impact of Statin Therapy on the Risk of Stroke Recurrence, Mortality, and Dementia After Ischemic Stroke (ISMARDD Study): A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis
- Neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity changes through the Alzheimer's disease spectrum: Effects of simvastatin treatment
Journals with the most matched studies
| Journal | Studies |
|---|---|
| Neurology | 11 |
| Archives of neurology | 7 |
| Journal of the American Geriatrics Society | 6 |
| The Journal of biological chemistry | 5 |
| Alzheimer's research & therapy | 3 |
Questions
- Do statins prevent dementia?
- Observational studies have reported lower dementia rates in statin users, but randomised trials of statins for Alzheimer's have not shown benefit, and people prescribed statins differ in many ways from those who are not. The quoted papers give the figures on both sides.
- How many studies on statins and dementia does alzhub hold?
- 138 of the 29,780 study records in alzhub's library match the query "title or abstract mentions "statin" or a named statin (atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin)"; 62 of them name it in the title. Counted from the records when this page was built.
- What kinds of study are they?
- 7 systematic review or meta-analysis, 10 randomised controlled trials, 2 other clinical trials, 24 cohort or longitudinal studys, 3 case-control studys, 6 cross-sectional studys; 83 record no design.
- What is the most recent study in the set?
- "Baseline Statin Exposure and Incident Acute Myocardial Infarction in Adults Aged >=75 Years Without Prior Cardiovascular Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study" (medRxiv (preprint), 2026), the newest by publication date among the matched records.
- Which journals publish most on it?
- Neurology (11); Archives of neurology (7); Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (6), counted across the matched records.
Read on
- PreventionWhat has been properly tested.
- Blood pressure and dementiaThe other vascular risk factor with trial evidence.
- Risk factors, rankedCholesterol and vascular risk in context.