Data links oestrogen to Alzheimer’s risk

WOMEN who have five or more children are at far greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests.

The study, which involved 3,549 women, also found that the risk of developing the disease is halved for women who have had an abortion or miscarriage.

Prof Ki Woong Kim, of Seoul National University, said: “It’s possible that the modestly raised levels of oestrogen in the first trimester of pregnancy are within the optimal range for protecting thinking skills.

“Oestrogen levels double by the eighth week of pregnancy before climbing to up to 40 times the normal peak level. If these results are confirmed in other populations, it is possible that these findings could lead to the development of hormonebased preventive strategies for Alzheimer’s disease based on the hormonal changes in the first trimester of pregnancy.”

The paper was published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.