Is premature menopause likely to cause dementia? Study: Women's risk of menopausal dementia increases 1.3 times before age 45
Women will enter the menopausal stage after the age of 45. In the case of a significant lack of female hormones, the body may undergo drastic changes, which will also affect the physical and mental state. Even “brain health” may also be affected? A recent study published by the American Heart Association (AHA) pointed out that premature menopause may be harmful to women’s brains and will increase the risk of dementia in the future. If combined with bad habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse, or inactivity, the risk of disease will increase. Probably higher.
Is early menopause more likely to cause dementia? Study reveals: 35% higher risk of dementia
Shandong University in China analyzed 153,291 women with an average age of about 60 years old through the UK Biobank. Researchers included all types of dementia in the experiment, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, etc. Results were adjusted for dementia risk factors such as age at last test, race, education level, smoking and drinking habits, BMI, cardiovascular disease, income and exercise habits.
The analysis shows that women who enter menopause before the age of 40 are 35% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than ordinary women; women who enter menopause before the age of 45 are more likely to be diagnosed with “dementia praecox” before the age of 65. The probability is 1.3 times that of ordinary women. In addition, women who enter menopause after the age of 52 have roughly the same risk of dementia as ordinary women.
Previous research has confirmed that postmenopausal women have a higher risk of stroke than the average woman, and that stroke may damage cerebral blood vessels and cause vascular dementia. However, in this study, the research team did not find that menopause is associated with vascular dementia. Obvious correlation. Study author Wenting Hao believes that reduced estrogen levels in postmenopausal women may be a major factor in the development of dementia.
“Long-term lack of estrogen will increase the “oxidative stress” response, which is significantly related to increasing the rate of brain aging and causing related cognitive impairment. Lack of exercise and bad habits such as smoking or drinking may lead to higher rates of dementia. disease risk,” Hao said.
The risk of dementia in women is twice that of men. Experts call for “4 habits” to prevent dementia
In fact, according to data from the “U.S. Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report 2021”, women’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is almost twice that of men. The possible main reasons are: First: Women’s average life expectancy is longer It is higher in men, and the number of people suffering from the disease increases; secondly, women develop stronger immunity during pregnancy, which increases the risk of “autoimmune diseases” and causes more “β-amyloid” to appear in the brain. .
Andrew E. Budson, the author of the report, said that although there are many Alzheimer’s disease studies supporting this hypothesis, its inference relationship needs to be confirmed by large-scale studies. Although the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown and effective drugs for the disease have not yet been released, Budson suggests that women can still reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life through the following four habits:
Do aerobic exercise. Do aerobics for at least 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. Such as jogging, walking after meals or riding a bicycle.
Eat a healthy diet. For example, the “Mediterranean Diet” consumes more oily fish, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains, and eats less red meat and processed foods.
Get enough sleep at night. Sleep helps clear beta-amyloid plaques from the brain and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognitive stimulating activities. Go socialize with people more often, or engage in activities that stimulate your brain to think, such as chess, card games, reading, etc.
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Further reading:
These “7 things” need to be done to prevent dementia? Study: Risk reduced by up to 43%
