Warning.. Early ovarian removal doubles the risk of this disease

A new research study has found that women who had their ovaries surgically removed before the age of 50 and carry a variant of a certain gene are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in later life.

The research team from the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta in Canada found that women who carry the APOE4 lipoprotein gene and had their ovaries removed are 4 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's.

Using hormone therapy

According to "Science Daily", the use of hormone therapy reduces this risk.

To reach these results, the researchers analyzed data from about 35,000 women whose average age at the beginning of the study was 43 years, and who entered menopause at the normal rate, about 54 years.

Menopause

For those who had their ovaries removed, the risk was even higher, because their menopause was on average 11 years earlier than those who went through natural menopause.

“One of our most important findings was that the loss of the natural (endogenous) hormone, estradiol, as a result of surgical removal of both ovaries, may interact with the APOE4 gene to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, putting these women at double risk,” said Dr. Gillian Einstein of the University of Toronto.

It’s not yet clear why Alzheimer’s is more common in women than men, but it may be related to early life events, such as oophorectomy.

Risk-reducing factors

The study also identified resilience factors that reduce the risk: higher education was associated with a 9% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s in women who had early menopause.

This evidence supports previous research showing education as a form of cognitive flexibility in both women and men. Surprisingly, there is also a modest association between weight and Alzheimer's risk in the case of oophorectomy, with weight gain acting positively to reduce risk.