Alzheimer's risk may be 35% lower with common menopause treatment, study finds

Alzheimer's risk may be 35% lower with common menopause treatment, study finds

Estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy was linked to 35% lower Alzheimer's pathology and 39% lower dementia odds, according to a large Stanford study.

Scientists found a surprising Alzheimer's link in thousands of women

The new study is drawing fresh attention to a treatment whose use has steadily declined in the U.S. over the past two decades.

Women taking estrogen had fewer signs of Alzheimer’s in their brains

Women who used estrogen-only hormone therapy later in life were less likely to develop dementia and showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains, according to a large study of more than 21,000 participants. Hormone therapy use was linked to 39% lower odds of a dementia diagnosis and 35% lower odds of Alzheimer’s-related brain changes at autopsy, including amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Biomarker tests also suggested less amyloid b…

Study ties estrogen-based menopausal hormone therapy to lower Alzheimer's risk

Women on regimens of estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy are at reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, a study by Stanford Medicine investigators has found. Because estrogen-only therapy is generally prescribed for women without a uterus, most of these users presumably had had hysterectomies.

Estrogen Therapy May Help Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease, Study Says

—Lucy Lambriex—Getty ImagesAlzheimer’s dementia is generally more prevalent in women than in men, and doctors believe that one reason why is the sudden drop in estrogen after menopause, which can affect the brain. A new study published in Neurology seems to support this theory. Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 5,000 older women with hysterectomies who had died and had an autopsy of their brains. Those who had received estroge…