Could Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women Ward Off Alzheimer's?

I know firsthand that when it comes to Alzheimer's, there are more questions than answers. Effective, risk-free treatments are pretty much nonexistent, and there's really no way to stop the horror show that is a descent into dementia. In light of that, as someone who has seen how little hope there is once somehow receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer's (which is the most common form of dementia) or another form of dementia, I think a lot about things I can do now, in my 30s, to cut my risk of developing this awful disease.

That's why I'm so interested in recent news (via NBC News) that medical experts are considering the role hormones may play — and how these findings may create pathways for preventative treatments. 

This could potentially have a serious impact. Alzheimer's disease is becoming increasingly common, especially among women: According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are 7 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer's and that number is expected to increase. I've often heard theories that Alzheimer's primarily affects women because women tend to live longer, but emerging research suggests estrogen may play a role. 

So how can this shape our approach to preventing Alzheimer's during midlife? We're seeing a $50 million initiative from CARE (Cutting Alzheimer's Risk Through Endocrinology) to learn more about the role hormones may play — and how we can use these findings to approach prevention of Alzheimer's.

Of course, this comes just as the FDA removed the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy, which has long been a source of confusion and fear for women (catch our amazing co-founder Kristyn's coverage of this here). But while it's too soon to tell if hormone replacement can prevent Alzheimer's among women, it appears that we're finally getting somewhere, learning more about why Alzheimer's affects so many women, and beginning to crack open a promising preventative approach.