Commonly-used hormone fails to prevent onset of Alzheimer’s

While researchers had hoped that the widely-used hormone progesterone might help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, no clear benefit was uncovered in recent testing on mice, according to a newly published US study.

The idea researchers had hoped to validate was whether women could gain some level of protection against Alzheimer’s through a regimen similar to what’s administered for post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

In the end, the study – the first on progesterone and Alzheimer’s – was a disappointment for researchers because the commonly prescribed hormone, which is often combined with estrogen in HRT, actually inhibited some of estrogen’s beneficial effects.

In a report highlighted in the Journal of Neuroscience, gerontologist Christian Pike of the University of Southern California, and other team members, also said that progesterone had only limited benefit for mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms when taken alone.

Mr Pike said his group’s study should provide guidance for the design of human trials studying hormone therapy and Alzheimer’s. He added that future studies might need to focus both on the dosage and the formulation of progestins – the synthetic versions of progesterone given to humans – as well on the starting age for hormone therapy.