Hormone therapy not tied to change in muscle mass in older women

(HealthDay)—Hormone therapy (HT) does not significantly impact muscle mass in postmenopausal women, according to a review published online Aug. 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Ayesha A. Javed, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify randomized clinical trials assessing postmenopausal women undergoing HT and control groups.

The researchers identified 12 eligible studies (4,474 participants). Fifteen of 22 HT intervention arms used estrogen-progesterone combination HT, while seven used estrogen-only HT. During a median follow-up of two years, seven treatment arms showed a loss of lean body mass (LBM) and 14 were protective. Compared with controls, HT users lost 0.06 kg less LBM, but the difference was not statistically significant. Results were similar when evaluated by treatment type and dosage, duration of follow-up, time since menopause, study quality, and type of LBM measurement.

"Although muscle retention in aging women is of crucial importance, these findings suggest that interventions other than HT should be explored," the authors.