New research suggests that taking estrogen as part of hormone replacement therapy may help women fight off cognitive decline.

Share on Pinterest Does estrogen therapy have any cognitive benefits for postmenopausal women?

The study paper — titled “Lifetime estrogen exposure and cognition in late life: The Cache County Study” and appearing in the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) journal Menopause — details the new findings.

Researchers and the medical community alike have long known that Alzheimer’s disease tends to affect women far more often than it does men.

According to Alzheimer’s Society, in the United States, almost two-thirds of all people with Alzheimer’s disease are women.

Specifically, of the 5.6 million U.S. adults aged 65 and above living with Alzheimer’s, 3.5 million are women.

As for why this is the case, an established body of research has suggested that estrogen exposure is the answer. After menopause, women experience a drop in estrogen levels, and this could make them more susceptible to Alzheimer’s, these studies have suggested.

More recently, some researchers have argued that pregnancy and reproductive history may also impact a person’s risk, while others have called for a reassessment of the role of hormone replacement therapy in cognitive health.

Namely, scientists have recently been suggesting that hormone therapy is not always linked with cognitive harm, as many previously believed.

In fact, the new research suggests that it may have the opposite effect, actually benefiting cognitive health.