Hormone Therapy Might Help Protect Your Brain

Brain Bonus: Hormone therapy for menopause has spent decades under a black cloud of cancer risk, largely because of the fallout from a 2002 study that scared many women away from it. A new UK study, however, has added an important data point to that debate. Researchers followed over 180,000 postmenopausal women for an average of 13 years and found hormone therapy users developed dementia less often than nonusers.

The Study: Over 13 years, hormone therapy use for a year or more was linked to a 10% lower risk of dementia and a 16% lower risk of Alzheimer’s. Surgical menopause (where the ovaries were removed rather than menopause happening naturally) cut risk by 26%. Carriers of the APOE4 gene (the most well-known gene linked to Alzheimer’s) also benefited, with the strongest results in women starting hormone therapy before 56.

The Takeaway: Hormone therapy isn’t just about hot flashes and night sweats. It may also affect how the brain ages, especially for women with less lifetime exposure to estrogen. 

Keep in Mind: Doctors aren’t currently recommending hormone therapy solely to prevent Alzheimer’s, and earlier trials found mixed results, including one linking it to higher risk. What stands out is the study’s size and focus on who benefits most.