Many of us balk at the thought of regular exercise. But it just keeps on showing up as a necessary part of a long and healthy life. Now we know that women who are on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should also add exercise to their to-do lists. This is because it seems to put a stop to the mental decline associated with long-term use of the therapy.
Menopause can be a difficult time in a woman’s life, initiating many physical changes. Basically, between the ages of 45 and 55, your menstrual period comes to an end and your body produces increasingly smaller amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This can cause hot flashes, brittle bones, difficulty sleeping, and other symptoms. To relieve these symptoms, women can be given injections of estrogen or estrogen/progestin, known as HRT. HRT is not without its risks, including heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer.
To test a link between mental abilities and HRT, researchers from the University of Illinois performed a study on 54 postmenopausal women. The women were divided into groups based on use or non-use, duration of hormone therapy, and existing fitness levels. The study used two types of scans to monitor changes in brain volume. Researchers also administered a standard test to measure mental agility and memory in the study subjects.
The researchers found that the women who received HRT therapy for more than 10 years (long-term) weren’t as sharp. However, physical fitness seemed to offset this cognitive decline. Strangely, short-term use of HRT itself was found to improve cognitive function in older women, with exercise boosting the positive effects even more.
While the option of HRT should be explored thoroughly with your doctor, it seems short-term use could keep women sharper in their later years. If you’re on the therapy for the long haul, you must incorporate exercise into your life now. Check with your doctor to see what level of fitness is best for you. Some great ways to keep in shape include swimming and walking. If you’re a dedicated couch potato, it’s best to start small: take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk in place while you’re doing the dishes — anything that gets your heart pumping.
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Tags: Breast Cancer, exercise
