Early initiation of statins after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a study presented at ESC Congress 2026 and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
The burden of dementia is projected to rise with the aging population. With no effective treatments, prevention is an urgent priority. According to the Lancet Commission, nearly half of dementia cases could theoretically be prevented by eliminating 14 risk factors.
"Detecting and treating high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from midlife is one such highlighted risk factor," explained presenter Dr. Tummas Ternhamar from Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark. He noted that this could be particularly important in patients with type 2 diabetes because elevated LDL-C occurs frequently in these individuals, and diabetes is a highlighted risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
"We hypothesized that early initiation of LDL-C-lowering statins following type 2 diabetes diagnosis could be associated with a lower risk of dementia," Ternhamar said. "And we tested this in a large nationwide study using analysis methods to emulate a randomized trial and reduce some of the bias associated with observational studies," he noted.
