Statins remove cholesterol from the brain – and they also remove a nutrient that is key to dementia prevention

Stripping the brain of important, protective substances needs some rethinking, while thinking is still an option.

Advancing years can mean advancing memory loss. And routine statin prescriptions. Those statins remove not just cholesterol – crucial for memory – but also coenzyme Q₁₀. Also crucial for memory.

Just how crucial are those statins?

Introducing coenzyme Q10

Also known as ubiquinone, CoQ₁₀ is a vitamin-like substance that the body makes - just like cholesterol. Some can also be obtained from diet. It is key to energy production in the mitochondria of every cell of the body, energy that is produced from the breakdown of food into units of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

So not surprisingly, low energy levels are one of the first signs that production has faltered.

The organs and tissues of the body most likely to be affected by depleted CoQ₁₀ are those that have the highest energy demands: the heart, muscles, kidneys and of course the brain.

The brain has a particularly high requirement for CoQ₁₀. Not onlyis it required for energy production in the mitochondria, it is also an important antioxidant.

The brain certainly needs all the antioxidants available to it, being made mainly of fat. Fat is especially vulnerable to oxidation and needs effective, round-the-clock antioxidant protection.

Enter statins. Exit CoQ10

Here are four things we know.

First, that CoQ₁₀ is present, and especially active, in every area of the brain.

Second, that there is ‘increasing evidence’ that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. The two things that CoQ₁₀ protects against.

Third, that a decrease of 35% neuronal CoQ₁₀ has been shown to inhibit antioxidant systems and block intracellular ATP synthesis.

Fourth, that depleted CoQ₁₀ is associated with a greater risk of developing dementia.

One 2025 study found that neuronal CoQ₁₀ was reduced by over 50% following simvastatin treatment. This effect has been found to be dose-dependent: the more you take, the more you lose.

Let’s not forget either that statins reduce cholesterol in the brain, even though cholesterol is vital for cognitive function. The brain has the highest concentration of cholesterol in the body.

Cholesterol plays several roles: as well as being a brain antioxidant, it’s a major component of the myelin sheath, the protective layer that wraps around the neuron. It forms part of the cell membrane, controlling what passes in and out of each neuron. You need it for neurotransmitters to fire properly.

Without it, memory retrieval is a problem.

What statins do to cholesterol, they also do to CoQ₁₀, taking the same route.

Statins block an enzyme called HMGR that is involved in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. The MVA pathway is a key step in the synthesis of both cholesterol and CoQ₁₀. This pathway is also essential for the production of vitamin D, another nutrient required for maintaining brain function.

‘Moreover, chronic statin treatment has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment, which has been demonstrated in several human and animal studies’

Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress are ‘potential hallmarks of statin-induced neurotoxicity’.

An analysis of the most relevant and robust studies into the relationship between cognitive performance and statin use concluded that… ‘statin-associated cognitive decline is a real entity.’

This analysis also looked at 66 case reports, all telling similar stories. They included what was described as the high-profile case of retired NASA astronaut and flight surgeon Dr Duane Graveline.

After six weeks of taking 10mg daily of atorvastatin (Lipitor) he experienced transient global amnesia and confusion. Treatment was stopped for 12 months, and his symptoms reversed. A year later, treatment recommenced, and so did amnesia.

Again, amnesia was reversed when statin treatment was suspended for a second time.

I don’t know how long he carried on with this unintended experiment before throwing in the towel on statins. Not too long, I would guess, because he went on to write a book about his experiences called Lipitor: Thief of Memory.

It’s not just memory loss that you might experience as an adverse effect of these drugs: deficiency of CoQ₁₀ is linked to the pathogenesis of a wide range of disorders, including chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

It can also result in a weakened heart muscle, which can ultimately lead to heart failure.

Here’s how not to be deficient in this defender of all things cerebral.