Early Menopause and Weak Heart Function May Accelerate Brain Changes
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Briana Mercola
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
- Menopause, which typically occurs between age 44 and 55, marks the natural end of menstruation and fertility, and is confirmed after 12 consecutive months without menstruation
- A 2025 study presented at The Menopause Society Annual Meeting found that women who experienced earlier menopause and had weaker heart function showed more signs of brain aging
- Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and Alzheimer's affects women nearly twice as often as men
- Falling estrogen and progesterone levels affect every system — blood vessels stiffen, sleep and mood fluctuate, and metabolism slows
- Menopause is not the end of vitality — it's a biological reset. Incorporating a nutrient-rich diet and a healthy lifestyle can restore balance and boost energy
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Are you noticing names slipping your mind or articles feeling harder to follow and wondering if it's just stress or a sign of something deeper? |
| 0:08.2 | Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. |
| 0:10.9 | Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. |
| 0:16.3 | No reading required. |
| 0:17.6 | Subscribe for free atmercola.com for the latest health insights. |
| 0:20.9 | Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're |
| 0:27.5 | examining what new research suggests about how the timing of your menopause and the strength |
| 0:32.4 | of your heart's pumping could shape brain aging, often before you notice symptoms. I'm here to guide the key questions so you can decide what actions make sense for you. |
| 0:42.3 | I'm Alara Skye. |
| 0:44.3 | We're focusing on a 2025 study presented at the Menopause Society's annual meeting |
| 0:49.3 | that evaluated 708 postmenopausal women. |
| 0:53.3 | Researchers combined cardiac MRI, brain MRI, |
| 0:57.0 | and cognitive testing to see how earlier menopause and left ventricular ejection |
| 1:03.0 | fraction, the measure of how forcefully your heart pumps relate to gray matter, white matter |
| 1:09.0 | changes, and thinking performance later on. |
| 1:11.6 | The heart imaging centered on left ventricular ejection fraction, or L-V-E-F. |
| 1:18.6 | A higher L-V-E-F means each beat moves blood more effectively. |
| 1:23.6 | A lower L-V-E-F points to weaker pump function. |
| 1:26.6 | That number matters because it influences how much oxygen and nutrients reach your brain with every heartbeat. |
| 1:33.3 | On the brain side, MRI tracked gray matter volume, which supports memory and decision-making, |
| 1:39.3 | and white matter hyperintensity burden, which flagged small pockets of damage linked with stroke and dementia risk. |
| 1:46.0 | Cognitive testing included the Montreal cognitive assessment to gauge memory and attention |
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