This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Donna Kritz-Silverstein, PhD; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD

JAMA. 1996;275(1):46-49.

Abstract
Objective.
—To determine whether long-term postmenopausal hormone replacement is associated with measures of obesity and body composition in elderly women.

Design.
—A 15-year prospective and cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting.
—Rancho Bernardo, a geographically defined community in Southern California.

Participants.
—A total of 671 women aged 65 to 94 years, who were initially enrolled in the Rancho Bernardo Study between 1972 and 1974 and participated in a 1988 to 1991 follow-up clinic visit. These women had never used hormone replacement therapy (n=194), used hormones intermittently (n=331), or used hormones continuously (n=146) for the 15 years between baseline and follow-up.

Main Outcome Measures.
—Height and weight were obtained at both clinic visits; differences in body mass index (BMI) between baseline and follow-up were computed. At follow-up, waist and hip circumferences and bioelectric impedance were measured.

Results.
—Age-adjusted comparisons indicated intermittent and continuous hormone users had significantly lower mean BMIs at baseline than women who had never used hormone replacement therapy. After adjustment for potentially confounding covariates, there were no significant differences between estrogen users and nonusers in BMI at follow-up, change in weight or BMI between baseline and follow-up, or waist-hip ratio or fat mass at follow-up.

Conclusion.
—Hormone replacement therapy, whether used intermittently or continuously for 15 or more years, is not associated with the weight gain and central obesity that is commonly observed in postmenopausal women.

(JAMA. 1996;275:46-49)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, University of California, San Diego.

Footnotes
Dr Barrett-Connor has received honoraria from Wyeth-Ayerst; all these monies were immediately turned over to the University of California, San Diego, for junior faculty and student travel to scientific meetings.

Reprint requests to Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr, 0607, La Jolla, CA 92093-0607 (Dr Barrett-Connor).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Estrogen Regulation of Adiposity and Fuel Partitioning: EVIDENCE OF GENOMIC AND NON-GENOMIC REGULATION OF LIPOGENIC AND OXIDATIVE PATHWAYS
D'Eon et al.
J. Biol. Chem. 2005;280:35983-35991.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Estrogen Regulation of Growth Hormone Action
Leung et al.
Endocr. Rev. 2004;25:693-721.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Changes in body composition during post-menopausal hormone therapy: a 2 year prospective study
Arabi et al.
Hum Reprod 2003;18:1747-1752.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Predictors of Postmenopausal Body Mass Index and Waist Hip Ratio in the Oklahoma Postmenopausal Health Disparities Study
Gavaler and Rosenblum
J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 2003;22:269-276.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Endogenous Postmenopausal Hormones and Carotid Atherosclerosis: A Case-Control Study of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Cohort
Golden et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:437-445.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effects of GH and/or Sex Steroid Administration on Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat in Healthy Aged Women and Men
Munzer et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2001;86:3604-3610.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Body Composition Determined by Six Different Methods in Women Bilaterally Adrenalectomized for Treatment of Cushing's Disease
Kemink et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1999;84:3991-3999.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy on Body Weight and Waist and Hip Girths
Espeland et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1997;82:1549-1556.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Body Fat
Blackman
JAMA 1996;275:987-987.
ABSTRACT  

Atherosclerosis and Risk Factor Modification: Does It Really Make a Difference?
Corson et al.
PERSPECT VASC SURG ENDOVASC THER 1996;9:75-94.