High levels of a family of lipids called ceramides in the blood may be predictive of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

Women with the highest levels of ceramides had a 10-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared with those with the lowest levels, said Michelle M. Mielke, PhD, from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

“The study is small — that’s a limitation, and it was a preliminary study. However, given the small sample size, to have hazard ratios that are near 10 was quite striking and we didn’t expect to see that at all,” Dr. Mielke told Medscape Medical News.… [Continue Reading]