Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center used data from 156 people diagnosed with the condition who participated in a 10-year multi-ethnic study of cognitive aging and
dementia.
At the conclusion of the study, it was found people with diabetes and higher cholesterol levels experienced faster cognitive decline when compared to people with a history of heart disease and stroke.
Dr Yaakov Stern, the senior author of the study, said the findings may offer a clue as to how to delay the onset of the disease, which "would be a major development in the treatment."
"Preventing heart disease, stroke and diabetes - or making sure these conditions are well managed in patients diagnosed with them - can potentially slow the disease progression of Alzheimer's," Stern said.
Stern and his research team speculated the link between vascular risk factors and faster cognitive decline may occur because the condition could trigger the production of amyloid in the brain, which is widely believed to be a primary cause for Alzheimer's.
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