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Effect of hormone therapy on lean body mass, falls, and fractures

Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: In Brief Objective: Loss of lean body mass with aging may contribute to falls and fractures. The objective of this analysis was to determine if taking postmenopausal hormone therapy (or HT: estrogen plus progestogen therapy or estrogen therapy alone) favorably affects age-related changes in lean body mass and if these changes partially account for decreased falls or fractures with HT. Methods: Participants randomly assigned to either estrogen plus progestogen therapy (n = 543) or control (n = 471) and estrogen therapy alone (n = 453) or control (n = 474) and receiving dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans to estimate body composition during the Women's Health Initiative were evaluated. Falls and fracture occurrence were obtained by annual self-report. Fractures were confirmed by a clinical chart review. Results: At 6 years postrandomization, lean body mass was not different between HT and control groups. Although lean body mass positively influenced bone mineral density, independent of HT status, the preserved lean body mass observed in the HT arms in the first 3 years did not significantly contribute to models evaluating HT influence on falls and fractures between years 3 and 6. Women taking at least 80% of their medication in the HT arms demonstrated fewer falls compared with placebo; this difference was not attributable to change in lean body mass. Conclusions: Despite early preservation of lean body mass with HT (3 y), HT did not ameliorate long-term (6 y) loss in lean body mass with aging. An evaluation of 6 years of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative demonstrated that lean body mass preservation up to 3 years does not persist through 6 years of hormone therapy. Falling and fracture rates were not altered by this early lean body mass preservation.
DOI: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181e3aab1
Authors: Jennifer W. Bea, Qiuhong Zhao, Jane A. Cauley, Andrea Z. LaCroix, Tamsen Bassford, Cora E. Lewis, Rebecca D. Jackson, Frances A. Tylavsky, Zhao Chen
Institutions: University of Arizona, University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Women's Health Initiative, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, The Ohio State University, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: green
Awards: Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UL1), G2868073770, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, COORDINATING CENTER FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE, G443405440, G4484576498, G4595690702, G4847987001, G5143030701, G5209003178, Cancer Prevention and Control Translational Research, FOR ALL FIELD CENTER FOR WHI EXTENSION, G5881391427, Cancer Prevention and Control Health Disparities Training Program, G6604908402, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, Women's Health Initiative, G8178424689, G8399797517, G8750984004, G9000007102, G9000070405, G9000072420, G9000089544, G9000118125, G9000217803, G9000230008, G9000282402, G9000285876, G9000309661, G9000343153
OpenAlex ID: W2030263270
FWCI: 3.244
Cites: 33
Cited by: 55
Related to: 10