Study reveals major health upside of going through menopause later
But new research suggests that having more years between your first period and your last comes with some serious health perks later in life.
And it has nothing to do with what's happening below the belt.
4 When women enter menopause, they stop menstruating and can no longer get pregnant naturally.
Syda Productions – stock.adobe.com
In the study, University of Auckland researchers analyzed brain scans from more than 1,000 postmenopausal women and spotted a striking pattern.
Those who got their first period earlier, went through menopause later or simply had more years in between showed noticeably slower signs of brain aging.
'These findings support the idea that estradiol — the most potent and prevalent form of estrogen during a woman's reproductive years — may help protect the brain as it ages,' said Dr. Eileen Lueders, lead researcher of the study.
In animal studies, estradiol has been found to support brain health by enhancing neuroplasticity, reducing inflammation and improving communication between brain cells.
4 Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease.
kangwan – stock.adobe.com
Estradiol levels fluctuate throughout a woman's life. They rise sharply at puberty, stay high during most of the reproductive years, then drop steeply around menopause.
Previous studies have linked that decline in estradiol levels to an increased risk of dementia and other age-related brain conditions.
The findings suggest that health interventions, such as hormone treatment, in the years leading up to menopause and immediately after could help combat an increased risk of Alzheimer's for some women, researchers said.
The stakes are high: Women bear the brunt of the memory-robbing disease, making up about two-thirds of the 7 million cases across the US today, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
4 A first period is typically a sign that a girl is nearing the end of puberty.
Sarah Rypma – stock.adobe.com
In the US, girls usually start menstruating around age 12, though the Mayo Clinic reports that periods can begin as early as 8 or as late as 16.
The years when a woman menstruates and can get pregnant are called the reproductive phase. This stage ends with menopause, which is officially diagnosed after a woman has gone 12 months without a period.
The average women in the US hits menopause around age 51, but it can happen anytime from the 30s to the mid-50s or later, according to the federal Office on Women's Health.
The age you enter menopause is influenced by several factors, including genetics, lifestyle and certain medical conditions. For example, women who smoke may enter menopause earlier, while having multiple pregnancies can delay its onset.
4 The years leading up to menopause are often accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes.
Monkey Business – stock.adobe.com
'As more women weigh the benefits of hormone therapy during menopause, findings like these spark important conversations and open the door to more inclusive, focused research in women's brain health,' said Alicja Nowacka, a PhD student at the University of Auckland who wasn't involved in the study.
While the new research adds to the growing evidence that estradiol may help protect brain health, Lueders cautioned that the effects were small and estradiol levels were not directly measured.
She also noted that other factors, such as genetics, lifestyle and overall health, can play a role in brain aging.
Looking ahead, Lueders is urging future studies to include a more diverse pool of participants and directly measure their hormone levels to better understand how estradiol and other factors impact women's brain health.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Study reveals why ‘super agers' maintain ‘outstanding memory' into their 80s
Many assume that memory loss and cognitive decline are an inevitable part of aging — but new research suggests that doesn't have to be the case. A 25-year study from Northwestern University analyzed the brains of "super agers" to determine what traits they share that may contribute to their mental resilience. "Super agers" are defined as people 80 and older who show "outstanding memory performance" that is on par with those who are three decades younger, according to the researchers. "'Super ager' is not a condition, but rather a term we defined at Northwestern on the basis of a score on a memory test over age 80," lead author Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital. "We were interested in memory aging because memory decline is the most common complaint in older adults. One can be 'super' in many ways, and this is just one." In the study, the researchers analyzed 79 brains that were donated by super agers and identified some key differences compared to those who "age typically." Some of the brains contained amyloid and tau proteins, which typically accumulate in people with Alzheimer's disease, while other brains showed no sign of these toxins. "Some super agers have very few of these proteins, so for some reason they don't manufacture them," Weintraub noted. "But we found some super agers' brains contained large numbers of these proteins, despite maintaining their cognitive health until death." This means there may be different biological pathways to super aging — "one resistance and the other resilience," she said. "If your relative is forgetful at age 80, it may not be part of aging, but of disease." With the resistance group, they don't make the plaques and tangles, Weintraub said. In the resilience group, they make them, but they don't have any impact on their brains. While "typically aging" brains show thinning of the cortex — which is the outer layer of the brain that helps with decision-making, motivation and regulation of emotions — the super agers' brains did not show this characteristic. Super agers were also found to have a greater number of "von economo neurons," which are brain cells that control social behavior. The researchers also found that this group had larger "entorhinal neurons," which are essential for powering memory, the release stated. In terms of behavior, the super agers were also found to be "highly social" with strong interpersonal relationships, according to the study findings. "There is the common assumption that aging implicitly brings cognitive decline and that loss of short-term memory is part of 'normal aging,'" lead author Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry and neurology at Northwestern Medicine, told Fox News Digital. "The truth is that on average, cognitive test scores decline, but the variance among individuals within that average span gets larger and larger with age," she continued. "That means that loss is not inevitable, and that if your relative is forgetful at age 80, it may not be part of aging, but of disease." Christopher Weber, Ph.D., senior director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago, was not involved in the study but commented on the "exciting" findings. "This increases our understanding of people's brains as they age and gives some insight into what makes some resilient or resistant to age-related brain changes," Weber told Fox News Digital. The study shows that super agers have "more preserved brain structure" that is similar to much younger adults, according to Weber. "The findings suggest that cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging — especially for individuals who have more protective factors that preserve brain health and cognition," he said. Weber pointed out, however, that the "super aging" study population is small and not representative of the real-world population. "They are primarily well-educated and White," he said. "Also, this group was self-selected into the study. These individuals may be more health-conscious or cognitively engaged than average older adults." Even so, the findings could help scientists create more — and better — strategies for treating and preventing cognitive decline, according to Weber. "The more we know about successful aging, the more opportunities we have to discover and create interventions to enhance resistance and resilience." To help reduce the risk factors that affect brain health, Weintraub said, "What is good for your heart is good for your brain." "What is good for your heart is good for your brain." "We know that adopting certain lifestyle changes will reduce the risk of a bad outcome, but are not guaranteed to eradicate it," she told Fox News Digital. "Having said that, eat well, sleep well, exercise, socialize and value social relationships, treat whatever condition you have that you can treat, and stay away from harmful substances." For more health articles, visit The study was supported by the Northwestern Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. The findings were published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Trump risks endangering advances in the fight against Alzheimer's
The current administration should remember that advances in fighting Alzheimer's benefit everyone, not only registered Democrats. This is not a partisan issue. Progress against disease is important to everyone of all political persuasions. Marc Springer Brookline
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
More women get Alzheimer's than men. It may not just be because they live longer
Working three full-time jobs, raising kids and tending her blooming garden: Angeleta Cox says her mother, Sonia Elizabeth Cox, never really slowed down all her life. Then, at the age of 64, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's slammed the brakes on the vibrant life she'd painstakingly built after immigrating to Canada from Jamaica in 1985. "The onset of the symptoms came on very fast," Cox said of her mother. "She forgot my dad first, and she wasn't able to respond to my brother, so I became a care provider for her," said Cox. Sonia Elizabeth died late last year, after years of battling Alzheimer's. More women get diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than men. In developed countries, studiessuggest about two-thirds of people with Alzheimer's are women. It's a pattern seen in Canada, too, where women account for almost two-thirds of people with dementia, according to the last count from Statistics Canada. Scientists long explained this with a simple demographic fact: women tend to live longer, and age is a strong risk factor for the development of dementia. But that understanding is now changing. While age is still considered an important risk, scientists are increasingly realizing other aspects — both biological and sociological — may play an important role in making women susceptible to developing Alzheimer's. WATCH | Alzheimer's in women linked to early menopause, say scientists: "I think we're beginning to be at an inflection point," said Gillian Einstein, who studies how sex and gender can influence an individual's risk for developing dementia, as part of the Canadian Consortium on Degeneration and Aging. "I think you can feel it here," she said, gesturing around at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where leading Alzheimer's researchers gathered for the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in late July. "There's so many more sessions on sex differences, or women's health." Hormones, babies and menopause Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in the world, according to the World Health Organization. It causes symptoms like memory loss, confusion and personality changes. In Canada, Alzheimer's is also the ninth leading cause of death, according to Statistics Canada. One factor scientists now know about: the timing of key hormonal changes, like when women first get their periods, how long they are fertile for, and the age they reach menopause. "There are a lot of studies in the UK Biobank, for example, showing that the longer the reproductive [period] women have, the lower the risk is of late-life Alzheimer's disease. Having [one to] three children also seems to lower the risk of Alzheimer's," said Einstein, referring to a large database containing the health and genetic information from 500,000 volunteers. Premature menopause, which happens before the age of 40, and early menopause (between the ages of 40 and 44) are also key risk factors, said Dr. Walter Rocca, who studies the differences in the way men and women age at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "So these women should be treated appropriately to avoid these deficiency of hormones," said Rocca, who presented research on the topic at the AAIC conference. What that treatment looks like could vary widely, Rocca said, based on the patient, as well as the cost and availability of the drug. Some main treatment approaches include pills, patches, gels and creams containing the hormone estrogen, which has been shown to have neuroprotective effects but naturally declines during menopause. The risk of cognitive decline with early or premature menopause exists whether the menopause happened naturally, or caused by their ovaries being removed, says Einstein. She pointed to a study she co-authored, which analyzed data from over 34,000 women from the UK Biobank. "Women who had their ovaries removed prior to the age of 50 will also have an increased risk of Alzheimer's," she said. More inclusive research Researchers are playing catch-up, when it comes to understanding women's risk for Alzheimer's, says Natasha Rajah, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sex, Gender and Diversity in Brain Health, Memory and Aging at Toronto Metropolitan University. "Not only have we not been included in the research, but even in the clinical trials, we're not represented," she said. "It makes no sense when you think this disease affects more females than males." She's hoping to fill in some of those blanks. She's currently conducting the Canadian Brain Health at Midlife and Menopause study (BHAMM), which searches for early signs of the disease through brain scans and blood samples at mid-life. "We're trying to understand whether or not menopause is a window at which some females might be showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease," she said. If they are identifiable, those showing early signs of disease could get treatment or alter their lifestyles to better age, according to Rajah. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but treatments include drugs that can help manage symptoms. Lifestyle changes, like physical exercise and a brain-healthy diet have also been shown to help brain health in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. She's also hoping to capture a more diverse population group in her research to better understand risk factors associated with race. Alzheimer's research in Western countries like the U.S. and Canada hasn't always been diverse, says Rajah. "With the BHAMM study, we're trying to reach out to as many communities as possible because we want to be more representative in our research." Different choices Looking back, Cox says she now realizes surgically induced menopause was a risk factor for her mother, who had a full hysterectomy after having fibroids in her 30s. The knowledge has led her to make different choices for herself — like reducing stress and taking care of her mental health. She's also now aware of how her own hormones can interact with Alzheimer's risk. "When it came time for me to deal with my fibroids that I had, I chose not to have a full hysterectomy." She's also passing down the knowledge to her daughter — and sharing it with other members of the Black community who have been impacted by Alzheimer's, through the Pan African Dementia Association. She's hoping researchers will find out more about risk factors for women developing Alzheimer's — so fewer women and families have to live through what her mom did. "When it impacts women, it impacts the entire family and the community," she said.
