Mosconi

The female brain is rich in estrogen receptors, particularly in regions that control memory, mood, sleep and body temperature, all of which “work beautifully when estrogen is high and consistent,” Mosconi said.

They also resemble changes in the brain that precede dementia, Mosconi said.

And Mosconi found that brain scans of physically active middle-aged women had fewer Alzheimer’s biomarkers compared to their sedentary counterparts.

Women going through the life phase, which is clinically defined as the end of fertility, face as many changes in the brain as in the ovaries, said Dr. Lisa Mosconi, a neuroscientist and director of the Women’s Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medicine.

The Mediterranean diet in particular seems to be a protective tool, even for women with a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Mosconi said.