HRT increases dementia risk in older women

Last summer, women learned that hormone replacement therapy's risks (heart disease, stroke, breast cancer) outweighed its benefits (bone strength, reduction in colon cancer).

Today a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association
challenges previous evidence that HRT somehow protects the brains of postmenopausal women. In a large spin-off study of women 65 and older, the researchers noted an increased risk of dementia. In fact, after four years, the risk in the estrogen plus progestin group was twice that in the placebo group.

Lesson review for women and their doctors: Until more is known, HRT should be used only temporarily to treat menopausal symptoms.