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Large UK study finds HRT use associated with lower dementia risk for some groups of women

Researchers analysing more than 180,000 postmenopausal women found HRT use was associated with lower dementia risk, with the strongest associations in certain biological and genetic groups.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

An older woman sitting on a park bench Image: Oscar Williams via Pexels / University of ExeterOriginal source

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A of more than 180,000 postmenopausal women has found an between hormone replacement and a lower risk of dementia, with the relationship appearing stronger for some groups than others.

from the Universities of East Anglia and Exeter analysed UK Biobank data over an of 13.3 years. Women who had used HRT were 16 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who had never used it, while particularly strong associations were seen among women who had experienced surgical menopause.

The pattern also varied with factors including age when HRT began, lifetime oestrogen exposure and the APOE4 gene variant. Researchers say this could eventually help inform more personalised work on menopause and brain health.

The study is observational, so it cannot prove that HRT itself caused the lower dementia risk and it does not mean HRT is appropriate for everyone. Its value is in narrowing the question from 'does HRT matter?' towards the more useful 'for whom, under what circumstances, and why?'