New Study Adds More Evidence Linking Menopausal Hormone Therapy to Alzheimer’s Disease

A new study shows that hormone “replacement” therapy, frequently prescribed for menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The study, which included more than 60,000 Danish women with no history of dementia prior to starting hormone therapy, found that hormone therapy increased the relative risk of developing dementia by anywhere from 21% for those using the treatments for no more than one year to 74% for those using hormones for more than 12 years.¹ The study confirms findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study which showed that menopausal hormone treatments increase the risk of dementia and brain atrophy.² 

A Physicians Committee study found that a combination of a vegan diet, reducing fat, and adding a 1/2 cup of soybeans daily was shown to reduce moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 88%.³