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Brain Contains 20 Times More Cholesterol Than Liver Despite Low Blood Levels

By Egleze Editorial Desk · Published June 13, 2026 · Peter Attia Drive · #395 - Brain lipidology: understanding APOE, cholesterol homeostasis, Alzheimer's disease risk, and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies on brain health | Tom Dayspring, M.D.
Brain Contains 20 Times More Cholesterol Than Liver Despite Low Blood Levels
Peter Attia Drive
Peter Attia Drive
#395 - Brain lipidology: understanding APOE, cholesterol homeostasis, Alzheimer's disease risk, and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies on brain health | Tom Dayspring, M.D.
"The brain, of all the organs in the body, has 20 times more cholesterol than does the liver. The brain has like 20 to 25 grams. There's like 140 grams total in the body of cholesterol, where the liver would have 3 to 5 grams."
Dayspring revealed the brain stores vastly more cholesterol than any other organ, containing 20-25 grams compared to the liver's 3-5 grams. This storage occurs even in children with LDL cholesterol as low as 30 mg/dL during peak brain growth, definitively proving brain development doesn't depend on circulating cholesterol levels.
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Peter Attia Drive
Peter Attia Drive

#395 - Brain lipidology: understanding APOE, cholesterol homeostasis, Alzheimer's disease risk, and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies on brain health | Tom Dayspring, M.D.

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