Less Estrogen may Mean More Pounds

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study lends more fodder for the debate regarding the health benefits of estrogen supplements after menopause. Researchers link estrogen deficiency to a greater risk of developing high blood pressure and becoming obese.

Investigators from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio conducted the study using 24 elderly rats. Two-thirds of the rats had their ovaries removed. The rest kept their ovaries and served as controls. Then half of the rats without ovaries were given estrogen replacement therapy.

Blood pressure readings were highest in rats with no ovaries and no estrogen. Readings were lowest in the rats treated with estrogen.

Rats without ovaries and not on estrogen also gained twice as much weight as the control rats, had 70-percent higher leptin levels -- a hormone thought to be linked to appetite regulation -- and 35-percent higher blood sugar levels, and showed increased levels of key kidney function measures. Their kidney function, however, remained the same.

Rats who had the surgery but were treated with estrogen escaped all of the adverse effects.

The authors note increased life expectancy means most women will live out a third of their lives in menopause, and finding ways to reduce their risk for heart disease warrants further study. Despite recent studies linking hormone therapy to breast cancer and other conditions, estrogen depletion may raise the risk of obesity and high blood pressure. This knowledge could open the door to new treatment options.

SOURCE: Presented at Sex and Gender in Cardiovascular-Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology in Austin, Texas, Aug. 9-12, 2007