A common hormone therapy may be the key to preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in at-risk women, research has found.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), is a treatment usually prescribed to manage menopausal symptoms.
HRT, as the name suggests, involves supplying the body with certain hormones (usually oestrogen, progesterone or testosterone) that can become depleted during menopause, leading to negative symptoms.
In a new study, researchers from the University of East Anglia in the UK have demonstrated that HRT can also boost memory, brain volume and overall cognitive performance in women who carry the APOE4 gene – a gene strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Professor Anne-Marie Minihane, lead author of the study, says women are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, and it’s thought the connection to menopause may be the driver. Women are also much more likely to live longer than men after receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
“In addition to living longer, the reason behind the higher female prevalence is thought to be related to the effects of menopause and the impact of the APOE4 genetic risk factor being greater in women,” says Prof. Minihane.
“We wanted to find out whether HRT could prevent cognitive decline in at-risk APOE4 carriers.”
The research team analysed health data from 1178 women who had participated in the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia initiative, a project spanning 10 countries and which tracked participants’ brain health over time.
They found HRT use was associated with better memory and larger brain volumes among at-risk APOE4 gene carriers. The association was particularly evident when HRT was introduced early – during the transition to menopause, known as perimenopause.
Dr Rasha Saleh, another co-author, says the results will hopefully open up new treatment methods, especially ones that can be deployed earlier.
“This is really important because there have been very limited drug options for Alzheimer’s disease for 20 years and there is an urgent need for new treatments,” he says.
“The effects of HRT in this observation study, if confirmed in an intervention trial, would equate to a brain age that is several years younger.”
Have you been put on HRT? Did you notice any changes to your mental health? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: Do you need to change skincare routine during menopause?
