(June 30) -- Researchers in the Netherlands have found that statins, drugs that are used to lower cholesterol, ward off a type of nerve cell death associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report from HealthDay.

Nerve cells in Alzheimer's patients die prematurely because of overstimulation. Researchers used the drug lovastatin on overstimulated nerve cells in animals and found that the medication prevented cell death and blocked memory loss.

Lowering cholesterol may be good for preventing Alzheimer's anyway; some researchers suspect that high cholesterol may raise a person's risk for the disease, HealthDay said.

For the full story, go to HealthDay.