Estrogen Therapy May Contribute to Delaying Alzheimer's Disease

Research presented at the recent American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting determined estrogen therapy in women 50 to 63 years old has demonstrated an effect on the metabolic processes linked with later Alzheimer's development, which could offer an opportunity to prevent or delay the disease, reports Healio . "We are starting to see this concept of timing and when estrogen is introduced in terms of cognitive health," said University of California San Francisco Center for Reproductive Health Director Marcelle I. Cedars. "While the data are mixed, there have been studies that have suggested that estrogen therapy as short as two to three years may have long-term benefit decreasing cognitive impairment five to 15 years later by up to 60 percent." Cedars noted the study also suggested women who take estrogen between the ages of 50 and 63 can sustain this benefit, but it loses effectiveness after age 64. She added that a prospective randomized control trial of the effect of estrogen therapy in early menopause on Alzheimer's outcomes is neither feasible nor cost-effective, so clinicians and researchers will have to continue to rely on animal studies, basic science, translational studies, and investigations into surrogate markers for Alzheimer's.