Estrogen, Diabetes Linked with Dementia Risk

Women who have high levels of estrogen even after menopause may be more likely to develop dementia, a study finds. The risk is especially high for those who also have diabetes. In this study, their risk of diabetes was 14 times as high as for women who had lower estrogen and no diabetes. The study included 675 women who had passed menopause and did not take hormone replacement therapy. All were age 65 or older when the study began. Researchers kept track of the women for about 4 years. In that time, women were twice as likely to develop dementia if they had high estrogen levels. All of these comparisons accounted for other health factors that also can increase the risk of dementia. Women with diabetes had such a high risk in part because their estrogen levels were so high. Those with dementia had 70% higher estrogen levels than diabetic women without dementia.