Blood-thinning pills could slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving blood flow to the brain, new research suggests.The tablets are regularly prescribed to more than 1.6million patients in the UK who suffer from atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder.The condition is significantly more common in older people and those who are either at-risk of dementia or already have the memory-robbing disease.Now Swedish researchers have concluded that blood-thinning drugs may help slow down cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients by improving blood flow to the brain.However, they stopped short of recommending the pills for those who do not have atrial fibrillation. The benefits were also only seen in those on newer types of blood-thinners.Experts believe the findings could be significant for the roughly one million people in the UK who are currently living with dementia – of which Alzheimer's is the most common type. That figure is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. Writing in the European Heart Journal, study lead author Dr Maria Eriksdotter, said: 'There are reasons to believe that the treatment could have a positive effect on cognition, by improving blood flow and reducing small-scale damage in the brain.' The new study – led by experts at Karolinska University Hospital – analysed data from 7,308 people with atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's, from the Swedish Register for Cognitive Disorders. Newer anticoagulants could help slow down Alzheimer's progression by improving blood flow to the brain