A 15-year study presented at the ESC Congress 2026 and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe has found that statins, including the most prescribed atorvastatin and simvastatin, are associated with a lower risk of dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Early initiation of the drugs was linked to a 15% reduction in risk, while any statin use during the study period was associated with a 10% lower risk.
Study details and findings
The research, described as the largest of its kind, tracked more than 132,000 people between 2006 and 2021. Medical records were searched for diagnoses of all-cause dementia. A clone-censor-weight design was used to analyse dementia incidence in patients with no statin initiated within five years after diagnosis, in those with early statin initiation within one year, and in those with late statin initiation between one and five years after diagnosis.
The results were similar in women and men. The European Society of Cardiology report said that prevention of dementia is an 'urgent priority' as there is no effective treatment. According to the Lancet Commission, nearly half of cases of dementia could be theoretically prevented by eliminating 14 risk factors.
Expert comments
Doctor Tummas Ternhamar from Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, said: “Detecting and treating high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from midlife is one such highlighted risk factor.” He noted that this could be particularly important in patients with type 2 diabetes since elevated LDL-C occurs frequently in these individuals and diabetes is a highlighted risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
Doctor Ternhamar added: “In individuals developing type 2 diabetes, statins were associated with a lower risk of dementia, most pronounced in those with early initiation. Statins seem to be underused in patients with type 2 diabetes, despite their protective effects against cardiovascular disease. Our findings suggest another potentially important reason to ensure that patients with type 2 diabetes and high LDL-C receive timely statin treatment.”
Implications for patients
Professor Isabel Goncalves, Member of the ESC Communication Committee, said: “People with type 2 diabetes already have a higher risk of dementia and are advised to lower cholesterol to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. This study suggests that starting statins soon after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis may also be linked to a modest reduction in dementia risk, with greater benefit than delaying treatment.”
She added: “Because statins are widely available and inexpensive, the findings are potentially important. However, this was an observational study, so it cannot prove that statins prevent dementia. The results should therefore support further research and help inform discussions between patients and clinicians.”
