A man smokes at a bar in Maryland. Smokers who drink heavily and have the genetic risk factor for Alzheimer?s get the disease nearly nine years earlier, a study finds. LARGE STUDY FINDS HIGH-CHOLESTEROL LINK Men and women in their early 40s with elevated blood cholesterol levels are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with low cholesterol, a report says. Other studies had suggested high blood cholesterol also could increase the risk of Alzheimer's. But the new report is one of the largest studies to link cholesterol to the degenerative brain disease. Alina Solomon of the University of Kuopio in Finland, Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland and their colleagues obtained cholesterol values for 9,752 men and women who were in their 40s from 1964 through 1973. The team found that 504 had developed Alzheimer's by 2007. The researchers found that people who had cholesterol values of 249 to 500 milligrams per deciliter were 1 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with cholesterol less than 198. Those with cholesterol of 221 to 248 were 1 times more likely to develop the disease. It has no known cure. This study, and other evidence, suggests the disease is influenced by factors that can be changed. Solomon says people can reduce high blood cholesterol with a diet low in saturated fat. COPING WITH ALZHEIMER'S Graphic: The science of the disease Changes: 'Early onset' cases rising | Patients to quadruple by 2050 Research: Novel therapies show promise | Gene could unlock mysteries | New brain scan could help predict disease Nutrition for the mind: Can caffeine help prevention? | Treating heart disease may slow dementia | Link between diet, Alzheimer's deepens Impact: Loneliness may increase risk, study finds | Counseling keeps patients home Help or harm: Study: Antipsychotic drugs fail Alzheimer's test Daily habits: Alzheimer's linked to lifestyle | Prediabetes No one's safe: Alzheimer's touches children Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY Heavy smokers and drinkers develop Alzheimer's years before people who don't drink or smoke as much, a new report says. The study, presented Wednesday at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago, suggests heavy drinking and smoking might be accelerating damage to the brain, which could lead to Alzheimer's. But the flip side of the study is a message of hope: People who cut back or stop habits such as excessive smoking or drinking might reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's at a younger age. Instead of struggling with forgetfulness at age 59, such people might delay symptoms until age 65 or 70, says researcher Ranjan Duara of the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. BETTER LIFE: The latest health news and wellness tips Duara and his colleagues examined 938 people ages 60 and older with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, a disease that causes confusion, memory loss and behavioral problems. The team asked family members to provide patients' histories of drinking and smoking. Then the team identified patients who had APOE4, a gene that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's late in life. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chicago | Alzheimer | Miami Beach | Rush University Medical Center | Mount Sinai Medical Center | Academy of Neurology The researchers found that patients who had a history of heavy drinking (more than two alcoholic drinks a day) developed Alzheimer's nearly five years earlier than people who didn't drink that much. Patients who smoked a pack a day or more developed the disease 2.3 years sooner. Patients who had the APOE4 gene developed the disease three years earlier than those who didn't have it. People with the gene who smoked and drank too much developed the disease nearly nine years earlier (average age 69) than those without those risk factors (average age 77). People can't do anything about a family history of Alzheimer's, says Denis Evans, a researcher at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. But, he says, they can reduce modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's. He points to other studies that have demonstrated smoking is risky. So for smokers, he says, the message is clear: Don't just cut back: quit. But the research on alcohol and Alzheimer's suggests a message of moderation. Evans says research indicates that one to two drinks a day might even reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. No one, including Evans, would recommend that people start to drink just to gain a potential health benefit. But people who already drink might be able to enjoy