HRT may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in women who are predisposed to the disease. This was revealed by a study by the University of East Anglia, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
The study shows that the use of HRT is associated with better memory, cognition and larger brain volumes in later life among women who carry the APOE4 gene, the strongest risk factor gene for Alzheimer’s disease.
The research team found that HRT was most effective when introduced at the beginning of the menopause process and more precisely during perimenopause, the transition phase towards menopause itself.
The research team studied data from 1,178 women participating in a European Alzheimer’s Dementia Prevention Initiative set up to study participants’ brain health over time.
The project spanned 10 countries and monitored participants’ brains from when they were healthy to when some were diagnosed with dementia.
The research team analyzed the findings to investigate the impact of HRT on women who carry the APOE4 genotype.
“We discovered – emphasizes Dr. Rasha Saleh, one of the authors of the research – that the use of hormone replacement therapy is associated with better memory and greater brain volumes among carriers of the APOE4 gene at risk.
The associations were particularly evident when HRT was introduced early, during perimenopause.”
The next step for the researchers will be to conduct an intervention study to confirm the impact of early initiation of HRT on cognition and brain health. It will also be important to analyze which types of HRT are most beneficial.
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