The influence of menopause and hormonal replacement therapy on body cell mass and body fat mass.

Abstract

Our purpose was to determine the efficacy of dietary calcium augmentation in the prevention of early postmenopausal bone density loss in comparison with hormonal replacement therapy and placebo. A three-arm parallel randomized trial comparing the influence of placebo, dietary calcium augmentation, and estrogen-progesterone-calcium in 118 women who were within 6 years of menopause was conducted. Dual photon absorptiometry was performed annually to measure lean and fat mass. In addition, the ratio of fat in the trunk/extremities was measured. Body weight increased in each group. The increase was statistically significant in the hormone replacement group (0.8 kg/year). The percent of body fat increased in each group from baseline measurements, with the greatest increase in the hormonal replacement group. There was a decline in the extremity/trunk ratio in the hormonal replacement group as a result of a relatively greater increase in the trunk fat mass. There was a rapid rate of loss in lean body mass that was equal among groups. Menopause is associated with a gain in fat mass and a loss of lean body mass, but these changes in body composition are not prevented by hormone replacement therapy.