Experiencing menopause before the age of 40 years is associated with a 35% higher risk of developing dementia later in life, suggests a preliminary study.

The study, scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Associations conference, assessed data on more than 153,000 women who participated in the UK Biobank, an ongoing study that looks at the genetic and health information on half a million people in the United Kingdom. The study adjusted for age, weight, race, educational and income level, cigarette and alcohol use, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and physical activity. The researchers noted that women who entered menopause before the age of 45 years had 1.3 times higher likelihood of being diagnosed with early dementia by the age of 65 years… (CNN, March 1, 2022)