Hormone therapy was once linked to dementia. A huge study found it might lower risk — if you start early enough.
New studies suggest starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the 40s and 50s can protect brain health, contrary to previous dementia concerns.
A new large-scale study suggests that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may protect women's aging brains, as long as treatment begins in the right window of opportunity. The consensus among experts is that HRT should ideally start in the late 40s or early 50s, before the brain hardens with age. Early intervention promotes and sustains brain health, according to neuroscientist Roberta Brinton.
The study, which analyzed data from over 180,000 postmenopausal women in the UK, found that those who used HRT had a modest 10% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn't take hormones. However, the benefits appeared to be most pronounced in women between the ages of 46 and 56. The research challenges previous concerns about HRT potentially increasing dementia risk, as older women saw no cognitive protection and potentially experienced harm from the therapy.
The consensus among experts is that it's time to drop the stigma around HRT for women experiencing menopause symptoms, as the timing of treatment could be the key to its benefits.
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- Dementia Risks Vary by Menopause Hormone Therapy Timing, Study Shows medpagetoday.com
