Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Public Health
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Public Health
Do you wish to request the book?
Public Health
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Public Health
2025
Overview
Earlier age at menopause is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. Carriers of the Met allele of the Val66Met polymorphism show decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is associated with worse cognitive outcomes. Previous research suggests that higher BDNF levels may help mitigate the cognitive deficits associated with estrogen depletion in postmenopausal women. Physical activity (PA) increases BDNF levels and might further counteract the effects of earlier menopause and/or Met allele carriage on cognitive outcomes. Despite these known associations, the combined influence of these factors remains unknown. Here, we investigated whether BDNF genotype, age at menopause, and PA interact to influence cognition in postmenopausal women.
We used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. BDNF Val66Met genotype was dichotomized as Met carriers (Met/Met or Met/Val) vs. non-carriers (Val/Val). Age at menopause was self-reported. PA was measured using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) score. Global cognition was assessed with neuropsychological tests and quantified with a composite of standardized scores. Linear regression models were used to test independent and interactive associations of age at menopause, Met carriage, and PASE score on cognitive scores, adjusting for age, years of education, and testing language (English/French).
We included N = 8,101 postmenopausal women (mean age=64.5±8.78 years, mean age at menopause=50.0±4.86 years, 33% Met carriers). In terms of independent effects, earlier menopause and lower PA were each associated with worse cognition (age at menopause: β = 0.070, p < .001; PA: β = 0.033, p = .001). However, Met carriage alone was not associated with cognition (β = 0.005, p = .81). Notably, there was a significant three-way interaction between age at menopause, Met carriage, and PA on cognition. Specifically, greater PA levels attenuated the influence of earlier menopause on worse cognition in Met carriers, but not in non-carriers (Figure 1; β = -0.048, p = .03). Sensitivity analysis adjusting for hormone therapy and vascular risk yielded similar results.
These findings suggest that age at menopause, BDNF genotype, and PA synergistically influence cognition in postmenopausal women. Staying physically active may be particularly beneficial for cognitive health in women with the Met allele and an earlier age at menopause.
