BODY-WEIGHT, ESTROGEN AND COGNITIVE-FUNCTIONING IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE- AN ANALYSIS OF THE TACRINE STUDY-GROUP DATA

We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinically ascertained Alzhei mer's disease subjects, hypothesizing that weight, given its positive relationship to endogenous estrogen levels, would correlate with bette r cognitive performance among women, but not necessarily men, with thi s disorder. Baseline (pretreatment) data, collected by the Tacrine Stu dy Group were available from 347 women and 316 men. After controlling for age, duration of dementia, height, and education, we found weight to have a significant, positive relationship with two measures of glob al cognitive functioning among women. For men, this relationship was s maller and did not reach statistical significance. Post hoc analyses a mong women found the effect of weight to be independent of concurrent use of estrogen replacement medication. The use of estrogen replacemen t was independently related to better cognitive performance. Results s upport the contention that higher body weight - putatively as a reflec tion of higher levels of endogenous estrogens - has a positive effect on cognitive performance among women with Alzheimer's disease. (C) 199 7 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.