Engy › Who's who in longevity › Ruth Frikke-Schmidt
At a glance
- Professor at the University of Copenhagen and physician in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Rigshospitalet.
- Uses large Danish population studies and genetic analyses to work out which risk factors are truly causal rather than merely associated with disease.
- Studies how HDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) and the APOE gene relate to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
- Published in 2026 on atherosclerosis and dementia as a shared, partly preventable problem, and on modifiable cardiovascular risk factors that also raise dementia risk.
- Co-authored a genetic study in Nature Genetics (2026) analysing Alzheimer’s risk by APOE type, and work on the interplay between inflammation (IL-6) and lipoprotein(a).
- Relevant because her research supports the idea that what is good for your blood vessels — blood pressure, cholesterol, not smoking, exercise — also protects your brain.
Recent
- Study APOE-stratified genome-wide association analyses provide insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimers's disease
- Study Interplay Between Interleukin-6 Receptor and Lipoprotein(a) in the Causal Association With Cardiovascular Disease
- Study Association of HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein AI, and E concentrations with foetal growth and placental insufficiency
- Study Causal insights of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors for dementia risk - potential for efficient prevention and improved brain health
- Study Atherosclerosis and dementia - causal aspects and preventive potential