Women face a higher risk of developing both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease than men. Cardiovascular disease is linked to an increased likelihood of Alzheimer's disease, especially among women. A new study investigated whether earlier age at menopause influences the association between cardiac function and brain health. Results of the study will be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Orlando October 21-25.
Reduced cardiac function can affect brain health by limiting the essential supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This reduced blood flow can damage brain tissue, contribute to silent strokes, and increase the risk of dementia, underscoring the critical connection between heart and brain health. Earlier age at menopause also negatively affects brain health. Accumulating data suggests that earlier menopause is associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's dementia later in life.
Although these links are well established, little is known about the combined impact of earlier age at menopause and reduced cardiac function on brain and cognitive outcomes. To address this, a new study involving more than 500 participants investigated whether earlier age at menopause influences the association between cardiac function and both brain and cognitive outcomes, including gray matter volume, white matter hyperintensity burden and performance on cognitive tests.
Cardiac function was assessed using resting left ventricular ejection fraction measured on cardiac MRI. Brain MRI was used to quantify gray matter volume and white matter hyperintensity burden. Cognition was assessed with standardized neuropsychological tests. Results were adjusted for age, ethnicity, years of education, hormone therapy, cause of menopause (spontaneous vs. surgical), visceral adipose tissue, systolic blood pressure, cardiac index, and intracranial volume.
The researchers found that earlier menopause and reduced cardiac function may have a compounding negative effect on brain health. More detailed results will be discussed at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society as part of the abstract presentation entitled "The Combined Influence of Earlier Menopause and Cardiac Function on Brain Health."
"We still don't fully understand how menopause, and especially earlier menopause, affects brain aging. By examining the intersection of heart and brain health, we were keen to shed light on this important but often overlooked area of research," says Tallinn Splinter, lead author from the University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Research Institute which is the research and teaching arm of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
These findings underscore the importance of integrating sex-specific factors, such as age at menopause, into research on dementia risk and informing targeted prevention and intervention strategies."
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director, The Menopause Society
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