A new study found a link between pregnancy and Alzheimer's disease – Quartz

A woman's reproductive history can influence her risk of dementia later in life, according to a new study

Scientists are desperately trying to understand what contributes to the risk of developing the disease from dementia. Alzheimer's and related dementias. Important theories have focused on vascular diseases such as high blood pressure or the body's immune system (paywall). But researchers have also noticed that about two-thirds of all patients with Alzheimer's disease are women, suggesting that sex can also influence the disease.

The new research, presented at the 2018 International Alzheimer's Conference in Chicago yesterday (July 23) suggests that, specifically, a woman's pregnancies and her onset of menstruation and menopause may influence his risk of dementia.

Presented by scientists from the University of California at Davis and the Kaiser Permanente health care group, the study included 14,595 women between the ages of 40 and 55 who used the cover of the health company between 1964 and 1973. They still used this coverage 32 to 44 years later, between 1996 and 2017, which provided the group with decades of data.

if three or more children were 12% less likely to develop dementia than their peers, even considering other risk factors for dementia. They also found that women whose menstruation started later were 31% more likely to develop dementia than women who had started menstruating earlier and those who had stopped menstruating before the age of 45 had 28% more risk of developing this disease. menopause later.

Why these relations between the history of reproduction and dementia do not exist. The reason could be "lifetime cumulative exposure to estrogen," said Paula Gilsanz, researcher at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and author of the study, at the Washington Post (paywall). Women who have their menses have higher levels of estrogen than those who are not, and pregnancy greatly increases estrogen levels in women. In addition to higher levels of estrogen, a woman's body undergoes hundreds of other changes when a child develops that could provide some kind of protective mechanism against dementia later in life .

Alternatively, the way women look after themselves during pregnancy could help reduce their risk of dementia. During pregnancy, it is advisable for women to stop drinking, smoking and consuming caffeine for the protection of their developing child. Perhaps reducing these substances for at least three pregnancies – cumulatively more than two years, in most cases – could protect women in the long run. Poor quality processed foods have also been labeled as a potential cause of Alzheimer's disease, and pregnant women may be more vigilant in avoiding these foods in favor of more nutritious options.

The lower risk of dementia in women with At least three children may also have something to do for women's lifestyle. "They do a lot of multitasking," said Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer Association, at NBC News. Challenges such as multitasking, planning and planning, school attendance and even socialization on a game can help the brain resist cognitive decline later in life.

Researchers also found that women are more likely to develop dementia than women who have not had dementia. However, women who have had miscarriages may have an underlying health risk that is also a risk factor for developing dementia later on.

Although this study is one of the most important on women and dementia participants were not white – this is far from conclusive. Last week, another study found that having more than five children was associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Whatever the relationship between the history of reproduction and dementia, it is clearly complex, as is the disease