Study: Higher Endogenous Estrogen Levels Don't Lower Dementia Risk in Elderly

A new study dispels the notion that higher levels of endogenous estrogen (estradiol) are linked to a lower risk of dementia in older men and women.

As reported in the May issue of the Annals of Neurology, researchers from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, drew their conclusion from data from an ongoing study on chronic diseases, including dementia, involving 7,983 participants 55 years of age and older.

The researchers found that higher levels of total estradiol were actually associated with 38 percent higher risk of dementia and a 24 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and a greater than two-fold increase in vascular dementia.

The findings do not support the hypothesis that higher levels of endogenous estradiol reduce risk of Alzheimer's and dementia either in women or men, the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Annals of Neurology 2003 May;53(5):607-15