Research shows that hormone replacement therapy can help reduce brain inflammation, diseases

Women's health research

Research shows that hormone replacement therapy can help reduce brain inflammation and diseases. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports.

LOS ANGELES - Research out of UCLA links brain inflammation to diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis.

That brain inflammation happens because of the KDM6A gene, according to the research.

That gene is found on the X chromosome. Women have two X chromosomes, giving them a double dose of that potential inflammation.

This research now links menopause and the loss of estrogen to these inflammation-based diseases because estrogen is anti-inflammatory.

Hormone replacement therapy can be a way for women to prevent the inflammation that leads to disease.

"There's some bone protection, there's also some cardiac protection, and there may be some benefit for long-term, long-term disorders, things like dementia," said Dr. Shelly Holmstrom, an Advent Health OBGYN.

The backstory:

In the UCLA research, they managed to deactivate the KDM6A gene in mice and from there the multiple sclerosis-like disease found in the animal improved. 

Translate that to people and women could see some improvement.

The good news is hormone replacement therapy already exists and it could help.

"All hormone replacement therapy is really doing is replacing something that is being removed from your body in a medically supervised fashion," said Saad Alam, the CEO and co-founder of Hone Health.

Estrogen is anti-inflammatory. Menopause causes women to lose estrogen.

They can see a rise in things like brain fog. Researchers think this loss of estrogen is linked to dementia and Alzheimer's in women.

"Some people do notice an improvement in symptoms like brain fog, moodiness or mood swings, and even in some joint symptoms," said Holmstrom. "So I'd say primarily one of the biggest benefits is treatment of those symptoms."

The Patient's Perspective

One patient said being on hormone replacement therapy has turned around multiple symptoms of entering the early stages of menopause.

"I was having insomnia and my cycles were erratic, and I was starting to have hot flashes," said Tracy Middleton, an HRT patient. "And it's really helped with those things."

There is also some research linking lack of sleep in middle life and increased risk of Alzheimer's, so improved sleep with hormone replacement is an added benefit.

"A lot of those same symptoms do interfere with women's ability to function day to day, especially when their sleep is impacted. There's a whole downstream effect or consequences of not being able to sleep well," said Holmstrom. "So those are a lot of the benefits."

"I'm sleeping so much better now," Middleton said. "I think that's really one of the biggest changes. So it's helping with symptoms relief, but then I'm also really excited about the long-term effects of it."

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Other experts urge women to contact their own medical providers to see if their hormone levels are low.

"Go get the education to figure out what's happening in your body," Alam said.