Alzheimer's Linked to Weak Bones

Estrogen may play a part in cognitive disorder. Women with low bone mass late in life may be more at risk of developing Alzheimer's, a recent study finds. Both, it seems, are related to an early onset of menopause and consequences of the drop in estrogen levels.

By Colin Allen, published on May 01, 2003

Women with low bone mass late in life may be more at risk of developing Alzheimer's, a recent study finds. Both, it seems, are related to an early onset of menopause and consequences of the drop in estrogen levels.

Women with the lowest measurements of bone mass were more than twice as likely to develop the memory-robbing disease. The same relationship between bone mass and memory loss did not occur with the men.

Alzheimer's is a progressive form of dementia most common in people over the age of 65. It is characterized by a loss of intellectual abilities such as judgment, memory and abstract thought.

Study author Zaldy Tan, M.D., based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, explains that because no relationship was found with men, a lack of estrogen is the most likely explanation for the findings. Previous studies suggest that the hormone helps prevent memory loss.

Tan recorded the bone measurements of 987 men and women, average age of 76, and tracked them over 13 years to see who would develop Alzheimer's or dementia.

While low bone mass may imply a greater chance of having Alzheimer's disease, Tan notes that more research will be needed to develop a reliable test that could predict the risk women have for the disease.

The findings suggest that more estrogen may protect women from Alzheimer's. Yet Tan notes that this would only be prevention. Estrogen would not reverse the condition once it develops.

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