Human Longevity and Aging

🧠 Why are women nearly twice as likely to develop #Alzheimer’s disease? A new article in Nature Medicine by science journalist Sofia Moutinho brings together leading researchers—including Roberta Diaz Brinton, Lisa Mosconi, Michelle Mielke, and Justina Avila-Rieger—to explore what we’re finally beginning to understand about sex differences in Alzheimer’s risk. 🔍 A few key insights that stood out from a scientific perspective: Hormonal Shifts & Brain Metabolism As estrogen declines during menopause, the brain loses access to its primary fuel—glucose. Research led by Brinton suggests that in response, female brains shift to metabolizing auxiliary fuels, including lipids found in white matter. This shift may contribute to white matter damage and increased AD vulnerability. Neuroimaging Evidence: Mosconi’s neuroimaging studies show that menopausal women (ages 40–65) have: ▪️ 22% lower brain glucose metabolism ▪️ 11% less white matter ▪️ 30% more β-amyloid plaques compared to age-matched men She notes that Alzheimer’s may begin as a disease of midlife, long before symptoms appear. Metabolic Health & Prevention Windows: Mielke’s and Brinton’s research highlight how postmenopausal metabolic risk factors—like hypertension and insulin resistance—may accelerate cognitive decline. Hormone therapy may help reduce this risk, but outcomes depend heavily on timing, duration, and individual biology. Reproductive History Matters A large Kaiser Permanente study found that women with shorter reproductive spans had 20–31% higher Alzheimer’s risk. Surgical menopause further elevated risk, while having three or more children was associated with lower risk—potentially tied to social support factors later in life. Sexism as a Risk Factor Avila-Rieger’s research revealed that women born in U.S. states with higher structural sexism experienced faster memory decline after age 65—especially Black women, highlighting the role of social determinants. 📉 Despite making up two-thirds of global dementia cases, women have been underrepresented in AD trials and research. That’s slowly beginning to change—but there's still much more work to do. As Mosconi puts it: 🧠 “Research on sex and gender differences in dementia has grown, but there’s still much to uncover ... and we owe women centuries of research.” 📄 Full article posted 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/da9p94XR #WomensHealthResearch #Alzheimers #Menopause #Neuroscience #ClinicalResearch #SexDifferences #MidlifeHealth #GSDHealthResearch #DementiaAwareness #DigitalHealth

Did you know on average women in the UK need to work 19 years longer than men to bridge the pensions savings gap? This was highlighted by findings from the Pensions Policy Institute earlier this year. The gender pension gap is a serious issue, particularly for women in midlife and beyond. Many women are forced to leave the workforce early due to health concerns like menopause, and at retirement, women’s pension pots are £136,000 short of men’s, leaving many to face financial insecurity. Also, 37% of women in the country do not engage in investments beyond their workplace pension, whereas this figure is 24% for men -- in part due to having less disposable income available for investment -- according to Aviva, a UK pension provider. The pandemic made things worse, with women over 65 struggling to bounce back from job losses. Gender pay gaps, ageism, and caregiving duties further compound these challenges, particularly when viewed through an intersectional lens. In the UK, women are almost three times more likely than men to retire early to care for a family member. All together, from the gender pension gap to caregiving duties, these findings paint a stark picture of the challenges midlife and older women face in the workplace. Yet, organisations are lagging. Despite Europe’s median age climbing, less than 10% of companies factor age into their diversity strategies. Older workers are often overlooked, but the skills they bring are invaluable. We need to prioritise flexible work, carer’s leave, and menopause support. Some companies are making strides by integrating age-inclusive practices—but more must follow suit. It’s time to close the pension gap and give older and midlife women the recognition, financial security and pension parity they deserve. Learn more about gendered ageism in one of our most recent blogs: https://lnkd.in/eEurQvKJ And read more about the gendered pension gap: https://lnkd.in/eNRxk2gu #GenderEquality #GenderEquity #EDI #DEI #ThreeBarriers

The transition to #menopause is challenging for most women. Research has shown that women of color may experience it differently than their white counterparts. In this NYT piece, author Alisha Haridasani Gupta tells the story of a black woman, Dannette Fogle, who was dismissed and laughed at by her male ob/gyn when she expressed at the age of 34 that she believed she was entering menopause. After this experience, Ms. Fogle decided to "muddle through" without medical help. Dismissal of women's concerns generally leads to just this reaction-a lack of trust of health care providers. The consequences of this lack of trust can be "stark," as Gupta writes. Beyond the unmanaged menopausal symptoms themselves, the resulting discomfort, especially from hot flashes, can affect mental health and quality of life for many years. Furthermore, serious conditions associated with menopause, such as heart disease and neurodegenerative disease may not be detected. Gupta goes on to share research that shows that Black and Hispanic women often enter menopause earlier than white, Chinese, or Japanese women. They also may experience menopausal symptoms for up to twice as long as other women. Additionally, the research shows that women of color are more likely to experience more intense and more frequent hot flashes. Data show that physicians are not well educated about menopause. A 2019 Mayo Clinic survey of medical students showed that 58% had received just one lecture on menopause, and 20% had received no training on the topic. As Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for the Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women's Health notes, "If the majority of providers don’t know much about menopause overall, they’re unlikely to be aware of these more nuanced situations with women from different races and backgrounds, and what to do about them.” To improve #WomensHealth overall, it's vital that health care providers are adequately educated, understand, and are sensitive to differences among their patient populations when interacting with their patients and developing treatment plans. Better awareness of differences can help improve the short-term and long-term health of everyone. #menopause #HealthEquity

This week's Listener cover says it all "Budget food and a cold rental: the retirement reality for many women". It outlines that women are much less likely than men to have a mortgage-free home by the time they retire (the gender pay gap turns into the gender retirement gap) and are at increasing risk of homelessness. The article quotes a recent report by The Selwyn Foundation that found women are disproportionately those living on less than the minimum wage. The numbers of women aged 65 + on the government's housing register has tripled in some regions. The conclusion: homelessness amongst elderly women is a global trend that we are now following. I'm proud to be a member of Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness working alongside Caroline Herewini, Helen Robinson, Victoria Crockford and Jill Hawkey to ensure government policy isn't gender blind and creates meaningful solutions that work for all. #homelessness #genderequality #home Wellington Homeless Women's Trust #homeless #community #endhomelessness

At the moment the UK government gives £3.8 billion to the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) for medical research. Since its start in 1993 just 0.3% of its budget has been spent on menopause research. The Menopause Research and Education Fund (MREF) is advocating for the government to allocate and ring-fence at least 3% of its annual funding to menopause research.  This does not require any new money, but an allocation of a small proportion of what it already sets aside. Why is this important? There is a huge gender data gap as women are already under-represented in medical research in general. When it comes to menopause, there are a number of silent changes to our bones, heart and metabolic health that take place which can significantly affect our future health and wellbeing, but we know surprisingly little about them as very little research has been done. The result: Women spent 25% longer in poor health as they age than the male counterparts. Many quit their jobs or reduce their working hours as they feel they are no longer able to cope. Existing research suggests: * Women are twice as likely to development dementia/Alzheimer's disease * One in three women will have a fragility fracture due osteoporosis in comparison to one in five men * Women are two to three times more likely to experience incontinence than men * Women are almost twice as likely to experience autoimmune diseases and depression than men * Women’s rate of suffering heart attacks matches men's by mid 60's but the cause of heart attacks is slightly different. They are often caused by blockages of smaller blood vessels around the heart - which are harder to detect. Even though women are 51% of the population and every woman will go through menopause, there is paucity of research into all these aspects of long-term health and the effect of menopause on them. We need to know what impact menopause has and how we can best deal with it in order to improve our long-term health. Please support us by adding your name to the list. Simply open the link, type in your name and organisation (if you wish) and hit share. And, feel free to share it with others you think may be interested in supporting the initiative. We will send this with an accompanying letter to Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. You can read more about the Menopause Research and Education Fund at mref.uk. We are a registered charity that provides support and education for all those who go through menopause besides supporting research. Please donate to support us. Link here - https://lnkd.in/e8838Vjx Also, please support us in our petition calling for dedicated funding for research into menopause. Link here and in bio - https://lnkd.in/dj_9wwSe

We've known for years that women experience a midlife spike in psychosis that men don't. We just never bothered to find out why. Michigan State researchers are finally asking the question with a $3.7 million NIH study tracking 750 women through perimenopause. This is the FIRST study to examine daily hormonal fluctuations (both estradiol and progesterone) and their connection to mental health outcomes like psychosis and bipolar disorder. Previous research looked at age as the factor. This study is investigating whether it's actually the hormonal shifts themselves driving increased psychiatric risk. The implications are significant. Not every woman going through perimenopause will experience severe mental health challenges, but we haven't had the tools to identify who's most vulnerable. From a public health perspective, being able to predict and intervene could transform care for millions of women. Researchers reported overwhelming interest from women wanting to participate. Women who felt unheard. Women who wanted their experiences validated by science. This is exactly why this work matters. At Midi Health, we see this every day. Women who've been to multiple providers, tried countless approaches, and still don't have answers. The gap between what women experience and what medicine understands is still far too wide. Research like this doesn't just advance science. It validates lived experience and builds the evidence base we need to change how we approach women's midlife health ... not as an afterthought, but as the critical life stage it is.

NEW! Latest commentary from Women’s Age Lab in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) focused on our timely report “Women at the Forefront of Aging in Canada”. There are health conditions that affect women uniquely, like menopause, disproportionately, like dementia, or differently like heart attacks. Further research is needed to identify conditions where sex, gender, and age differences exist to better inform clinical management. When we focus on older women we also learn about older men, improving health for all. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/edsMqUtq University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine University of Toronto Women's College Hospital Joyce M Li Haley Warren Razan Rawdat Surbhi Kalia

🧐 Spoiler: When your data isn’t inclusive, your solutions won’t be either! In brain health, the cost of designing without women is already too high. Women are the majority of #Alzheimer patients, yet they remain the minority in the research designed to help them. It’s not just a gap. It’s a systemic failure. Last week at Google, with the Women's Brain Foundation, we explored what happens when you combine three powerful forces: 🔬 Deep scientific expertise 🤖 Generative AI 💡 And a commitment to #inclusiveresearch that reflects sex and gender differences 👉 We're not just trying to fix a gap in data, we're addressing a flaw in design. 🧠 In #brainhealth, and especially in conditions like Alzheimer’s, #MultipleSclerosis, #Depression and #Migraine, women are overrepresented in diagnosis, but underrepresented in the studies that shape #prevention, care, and #treatment. That’s not just a scientific oversight: it’s a design flaw that limits our ability to deliver better outcomes for everyone. 📖 With the Women's Brain Foundation, we’ve just published a new piece on this on Nature Magazine, building on years of work: https://lnkd.in/e3k6Smvk The message is clear: #inclusivescience is not optional, it’s overdue. What gives us hope is that we have the tools, the data, and the technology to do better! We just need the will, and the collaboration, to redesign the models we’ve inherited. 💚 That's why I am grateful to Persistent Systems and Santosh Dixit for opening space for this dialogue, to the active support of Janaina Poeta Frey and Gabriela Nohava (Birrer) at Google, and to the powerhouse team at Women's Brain Foundation: Dr Antonella Santuccione Chadha, Mariapaola Barbato, Dr. Beatriz C., Dr. Roberta Marongiu, PhD, Janita Nath, it’s a privilege to stand tall beside you. 🙏 🙌 If this mission speaks to you, as a #scientist, #funder, #pharma company, #policymaker or #citizen, and you'd like to contribute to the work we’re doing, please get in touch! Let’s redesign science. Together. #WomensBrainHealth #PrecisionMedicine #TechForGood #GenderEquity #AIforGood #AIforHealth #SystemsChange #WBF

If you’re in your 30s or 40s today, this wealth shift will touch your life — here’s why you need to be ready. Over the next 20–25 years, the largest shift in wealth in history will happen. 💰 $30 trillion will change hands — and women will control most of it. By 2030, women are expected to own two-thirds of this wealth in the U.S. alone. That’s more than $30 trillion in assets — investments, property, businesses, inheritances — moving into women’s hands. Why? ✔️ Women, on average, live longer than men ✔️ Many will inherit from spouses or parents ✔️ More women are building wealth through their careers, businesses, and investments If you’re between 35 and 55 today, this will likely touch your life. You might… 🏠 Inherit a family home and decide whether to keep, rent, or sell it 📈 Receive investments or savings that need to be grown strategically 👩👧👦 Take full responsibility for family finances after a life change 💼 Sell or pass on a family business And here’s the challenge: The financial system still isn’t built with women in mind. I saw it firsthand in banking — plans based on male life expectancy, conversations that skipped over women, and “risk-averse” stereotypes that ignored the fact we are risk-aware. The opportunity here is massive — but only if you’re prepared. Because I’ve seen what happens when women aren’t ready: 💸 Inheritances lost to unnecessary taxes and poor planning 😓 Assets sold in a rush because no plan was in place 💔 Families divided because wishes weren’t documented Here’s my takeaway after 15 years in finance: It’s not enough to hope you’ll “figure it out when the time comes.” Wealth is built, protected, and grown with intention — and the earlier you start, the more confident you’ll feel when it’s your turn to take the wheel. As Shelley Zalis highlighted in her recent Forbes article, women are redefining wealth beyond just the numbers. It’s about financial freedom, personal fulfillment, and creating a lasting legacy. This shift is coming. The only question is: Will you be ready to make the most of it? #WomenWhoInvest #FinancialFreedom #HerFinancialFreedom #SmartMoneyMoves #WealthMentoring #GreatWealthTransfer

The fact that women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease is a well-documented but still not fully understood phenomenon. Several hypotheses have been proposed, including: 1. Hormonal Influence (Estrogen and Menopause) • Estrogen has neuroprotective effects, helping to support brain plasticity and metabolism. • During menopause, estrogen levels drop significantly, which may accelerate brain aging and increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. • Some studies suggest that women with early menopause or who have had their ovaries removed before natural menopause are at even higher risk. 2. Genetic and Molecular Differences • The APOE4 allele, the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s, seems to have a greater impact on women than on men. • Women with one or two copies of APOE4 have a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to men with the same genotype. 3. Differences in Brain Structure and Function • Women typically have a longer lifespan, which increases the overall risk of developing Alzheimer’s. • Some neuroimaging studies suggest that women have a faster rate of brain metabolism decline in Alzheimer’s-affected regions compared to men. • Sex differences in microglial activation and neuroinflammation could play a role in disease progression. 4. Immune System and Inflammation • Women generally have a stronger immune response than men, which can be protective against infections but might also lead to increased inflammation, a key driver of Alzheimer’s disease. • Chronic inflammation, particularly related to aging, may contribute to neuronal damage. 5. Lifestyle and Sociocultural Factors • Historically, women have had lower education levels and different occupational exposure than men, which could influence cognitive resilience. • Differences in cardiovascular health risks (such as stroke and diabetes) and physical activity levels may contribute to the disparity. Ongoing Research and Future Directions Scientists are actively investigating these factors, including: • Clinical trials testing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) timing and its effects on Alzheimer’s risk. • Studies on sex-specific differences in tau and amyloid pathology. • Research into the impact of pregnancy history, metabolic changes, and mitochondrial function. Understanding why women are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s could lead to gender-specific prevention and treatment strategies. https://lnkd.in/g5GMq_Rm