I took this photo of the Picasso painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, when I visited the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York earlier this year. The title refers to sex workers in Barcelona’s red light district. Picasso felt it was too disturbing for his time, so he didn’t publicly display the painting for almost nine years after its completion in 1907.
It’s also disturbing that Alzheimer’s disease is twice as common in women as in men, especially as there are several avoidable risk factors that most women and their doctors don’t know about.
In the past, this was attributed to women living longer than men, but we now know that the situation is much more complicated.
A likely contributing factor is the large, precipitous decline in oestrogen during perimenopause — specifically the hormone estradiol — which can lead to reduced brain energy from glucose, lower levels of antioxidants, and fewer neuronal growth factors, all of which compromise brain function. Regular physical exercise — especially strength training — eating more protein, and eliminating sugar, refined starches and processed foods, all go a long way to mitigating the drop in oestrogen.
Supporting the oestrogen theory is the fact that women who have their uterus or ovaries removed prior to menopause significantly increase their risk of Alzheimer’s unless they take Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) — formerly referred to as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) — immediately after their operation and at least until the age of 50.
It’s interesting to note that two-thirds of people caring for a family member with dementia are also women, and the stress of caring, frequent concomitant social isolation, and abandonment of one’s own interests and hobbies could also play a role.
I spoke about this and other factors that increase a woman’s risk of dementia, with Sally Bowrey and Matt Doran on Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise during Dementia Awareness Month in September. Click here to watch our conversation.
For the definitive guide to outwitting Alzheimer’s, regardless of gender, please read my book, Can Adventure Prevent Dementia?
Please share this Health-e-Byte with all the women you know.
