High oestrogen and diabetes linked to dementia

High oestrogen levels and diabetes can dramatically increase the risk of dementia in older women, a study has found.

Having both raised the risk 14 times compared with the rate for women without diabetes. On their own, high oestrogen levels also increased the chances of dementia, but not by as much.

Scientists measured oestrogen in the blood of 5,644 post-menopausal women aged 65 or older who did not have dementia at the time. Four years later, the women were given a further assessment and 132 were found to have dementia.