- Women are twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
- The greater life expectancy of women is a major factor, but longevity alone cannot account for the huge difference in risk. Hormones, genetics, and lifestyle factors are all possible explanations.
- Now, a study has found that stress leads to a rise in beta-amyloid — the protein that forms the plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s — in female mice.
- More research is needed to confirm the mechanisms behind the difference and whether the same happens in people.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, causing up to 70% of dementia cases. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it affects some 6 million people in the United States, and around two-thirds of those affected are women.
Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, and women, on average, live longer than men. According to the
Dr. Emer MacSweeney, CEO and consultant neuroradiologist at Re:Cognition Health, told Medical News Today that “the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is multifactorial, with a higher incidence in women than men, even when adjusted for the longer average life span for women.”
Those extra life years alone cannot fully explain the difference in Alzheimer’s disease risk between women and men. Recent research has suggested that hormonal changes after menopause may
And women may have a greater genetic risk, too — the
Also under investigation are societal and lifestyle factors. The Alzheimer’s Association recently reported that women who undertook paid employment had slower memory decline in late…
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