Skip to main content

Your gift will be MATCHED to support PCRM’s animal-free clinical research. Ends 7/10 at midnight. | GIVE NOW

  1. Health and Nutrition News

  2. Dec 19, 2023

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

More on Women's Health

Interested in this topic?

Learn more and earn free CME credits on NutritionCME.org!