More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s. Why?

More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s. Why?
A woman, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, walks in a corridor in a retirement house in Angervilliers, eastern France, on March 18, 2011. Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images
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Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and now some scientists are questioning the long-held assumption that it’s just because they tend to live longer than men.

What else may put woman at extra risk? Could it be genetics? Biological differences in how women age? Maybe even lifestyle factors?

Finding out might affect treatments or preventive care.