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What Every Woman needs to know about Menopause & Alzheimer’s

How does menopause affect the brain?

For every man suffering from Alzheimer’s, there are two women. Why is that the case? Well, according to neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi, even though Alzheimer’s is traditionally thought of as a disease of old age, emerging evidence increasingly indicates its roots may be traced back to middle age and even earlier. Middle-aged women going through menopause may experience many of the neurological symptoms of this transition—hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, memory lapses, depression, and anxiety—which all start in the brain.  Sharing groundbreaking findings from her research, Lisa Mosconi reveals how decreasing hormonal levels affect brain aging—and has identified simple lifestyle changes you can make to support lifelong brain health. In this email you’ll find her main recommendations that are further accompanied by additional resources in the right direction!

2/3 of Alzheimer’s Patients are Women!

Female Brain Ages Differently:

A woman’s brain is predominantly regulated by estrogen. This versatile hormone affects mood, sleep, stress levels, and protects the brain from deterioration. During menopause, estrogen levels decrease rapidly. Unlike testosterone in men, which gradually decreases over their lifetime with no significant symptoms.

Women going through perimenopause and menopause experience rapid and quite sudden changes to the brain due to high hormonal fluctuation. Since estrogen is key for energy production in the female brain, studies have shown that energy production decreases in the brain after menopause. This lower energy production not only results in the brain aging faster  but also contributes to the formation of Alzheimer’s plaque. In order to prevent neurological diseases, it is vital to prepare early starting during perimenopausal age, according to Neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi.

TED Talk Neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi

What can you do about it?

Consistency is the Key 

Starting as early as possible and consistency is key when it comes to significantly impacting your brain. Habits adopted throughout life, such as a high-antioxidant diet, moderate exercise, and consistent sleep patterns, lead to longevity and brain health. Conversely, inconsistent habits, like erratic diets or sporadic lifestyle changes, may not greatly affect the brain due to the brain’s resilience against short-term fluctuations (meaning it takes the longest for the effects of your habits to be manifested in your brain, for better or worse). Therefore, there is no overnight success when it comes to brain health.
 
Stress destroys your estrogen levels:
 
When cortisol (stress hormone) is high, then estrogen will be lower, and vice versa. So it is absolutely vital to keep stress low in your life with the following lifestyle choices to maximize estrogen levels as a woman: 
 
Diet: Mediterranean Diet with More Plants!
  • Skip the high-cholesterol fatty diet; the brain creates its own cholesterol! 
  • Add the Anti-Oxidants: Eat red, green, blue, orange, and you’ll find beta-carotene, vitamins C, E, selenium at the end of that rainbow. These nutrients are essential for mitigating free radical damage
  • This diet delays the onset and mitigates symptoms of menopause, lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s
  • High in plant estrogen, supporting women’s health
  • Minimize alcohol and caffeine intake
  • Recipes for Mediterranean Diet
Exercise: Consistent and Moderate, don’t overdo it!
  • Walk
  • Run, if you can
  • Yoga &Meditation for decreased cortisol and deeper sleep
Sleep: It is the only chance to give your brain a shower from toxins and plaque
  • Sleeping between 10pm and 4am is crucial for optimal brain function. During these hours your body is designed to achieve different type of sleep each one crucial for your brain health. For example, REM sleep helps with processing your negative emotions.
  • Deep sleep is when most of the toxins and plaque are cleared out of the brain.
  • This is a fantastic summary of the most important factors that can improve sleep
author avatar
Olle Wolfgang
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