Falling hormones reduce resting metabolism in women by 71 calories per day

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Thursday, March 03, 2005 5:35 am Email this article
Resting metabolism drops as we age which may contribute to age-related weight gain. Suppressing young women's hormone levels to levels equivalent to a postmenopausal woman, reduced resting metabolism by an average of 71 calories per day according to a new study.

REFERENCE

Resting metabolism dropped from an average of 1405 calories per day to 1334 calories per day.

This suggests that falling hormone levels, especially after a woman goes through menopause, reduces metabolism and may cause weight gain.

Subjects: 14 women, average age, 29-years-old

The study involved fourteen women who on average were 29-years-old.

Conclusion

“Suppression of sex hormones to postmenopausal levels… reduced [resting metabolism] in young healthy women… possibly through a [sympathetic nervous system]-mediated mechanism.,” the researchers concluded.

Comment: Hormone replacement may help prevent weight gain

Although I have not seen studies which have proven this, this study suggests to me that hormone replacement may be useful in helping women reduce age-related weight gain.

REFERENCE

Day D, Gozansky W, Van Pelt RE, Schwartz R, Kohrt W. Sex hormone suppression reduces resting energy expenditure and {beta}-adrenergic support of resting energy expenditure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Mar 1.

AUTHOR’S CORRESPONDENCE

Division of Geriatric Medicine
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, CO 80262 USA

Department of Integrative Physiology
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309 USA

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