Alzheimer's Linked to Weak Bones

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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