HRT linked to lower dementia risk in large UK study

A large UK study has found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may lower the risk of dementia, particularly among certain groups of women, according to research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, followed over 180,000 postmenopausal women in the UK, revealing that HRT users had a 16% lower likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to non-users.

The greatest reduction in dementia risk was observed in women who underwent surgical menopause, with a 26% lower risk when using HRT. Women with lower lifetime estrogen exposure, due to late menarche or early menopause, also appeared to benefit more from HRT, experiencing a 16% lower risk of any type of dementia. Professor Anne-Marie Minihane, lead researcher from UEA's Norwich Medical School, emphasized that dementia affects nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer's disease cases, which predominantly impact women.

The study analyzed health data from the UK Biobank, tracking 183,450 postmenopausal women for an average of 13.3 years, identifying nearly 4,000 dementia cases. Researchers discovered that HRT use was linked to a 10% lower overall risk of dementia and a 16% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the protective effects varied by individual factors such as menopause type, genetic predisposition, lifetime estrogen levels, and age of HRT initiation.