Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk in Specific Postmenopausal Women
A large-scale study conducted by the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter indicates that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) may reduce the risk of dementia, particularly for certain groups of postmenopausal women. The research, which tracked over 180,000 postmenopausal women in the UK, found that HRT users had a 16% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to non-users. The most significant reduction, 26%, was observed in women who had undergone surgical menopause. Additionally, women with naturally lower lifetime estrogen exposure (due to late onset of periods or early menopause) showed a 16% lower risk of any type of dementia with HRT use. The study also highlighted that women carrying the APOE4 gene variant, a known risk factor for Alzheimer's, experienced stronger benefits from HRT. The optimal age for initiating HRT for dementia risk reduction was identified as between 46 and 56, supporting the 'critical window' hypothesis. 
