A recent study published in Neurology found that women who used estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s-related brain changes or dementia. The researchers analyzed post-mortem data from 21,462 participants, comparing 258 women who reported estrogen-only MHT use with approximately 2,701 women who reported no MHT use.

Study Findings

The women who took estrogen-only therapy — most of whom had likely undergone hysterectomies — were found to have a 35% lower chance of Alzheimer’s pathology and 39% lower odds of dementia over a lifetime. Among some living participants, estrogen-only users also performed better on memory testing and were better able to function independently, the study found.

The researchers noted that estrogen has well-described neuroprotective effects in animal models, and that it plays a role in shifting amyloid toward the non-amyloidogenic pathway and promoting tau dephosphorylation — both amyloid and tau are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The study’s findings appear to contradict prior studies that linked menopausal hormone therapy to increased dementia risk.

Implications and Limitations

While the study findings don’t change current clinical recommendations, the researchers highlighted the need for well-designed clinical trials to confirm these observations and to determine whether menopausal hormone therapy has a protective cognitive effect. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.