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Estrogen Treatment for Hot Flashes Increases Dementia Risk
New evidence links hormone therapy, used for hot flashes, with dementia. A new Danish study showed that, even when estrogen-only treatment was used relatively briefly, it increased the risk of dementia in general by 55% and of Alzheimer’s disease in particular by 79%.1 The study confirms the risk found previously.2
In contrast, a low-fat vegan diet with added soybeans was found to reduce moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 88%.3 Limited evidence links plant-based diets to better preservation of cognitive function.
References
- Pourhadi N, Mørch LS, Holm EA, Torp-Pedersen C, Meaidi A. Dementia in women using estrogen-only therapy. JAMA. Published online December 18, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23784
- Espeland MA, Rapp SR, Shumaker SA, et al; Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. Conjugated equine estrogens and global cognitive function in postmenopausal women: Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. JAMA. 2004;291(24):2959-2968. doi:10.1001/jama.291.24.2959
- Barnard ND, Kahleova H, Holtz DN, et al. The Women's Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS): a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2021;28(10):1150-1156. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001812
