Oestrogen supplements may protect against dementia

Oestrogen supplements may protect against dementia

Women who take oestrogen supplements from before or at the start of menopause and continue with them for a few years have better preserved brain structure, which may reduce the risk of dementia.

Globally, one new person is affected by dementia every four seconds. In 2010, 36 million people were estimated to have dementia.

Now, findings in a doctoral thesis from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) show that oestrogen supplements can reduce the risk of dementia in women.

“Oestrogen supplements can have a positive effect against dementia if women start early enough with treatment,” says Carl Pintzka, a medical doctor and PhD candidate at NTNU.

The finding has been published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

A sample of 80 women who had used oestrogen supplements through menopause was compared with 80 women who had never used oestrogen supplements. All had participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), a general population-based study in mid-Norway.

Reference: “Perimenopausal hormone therapy is associated with regional sparing of the CA1 subfield: a HUNT MRI study” Carl W.S. Pintzka, Asta K. Håberg. Neurobiology of Aging, doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.05.023. Volume 36, Issue 9, September 2015

Source: The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Staff Writer