The effect of hormone replacement therapy and/or exercise on skeletal muscle attenuation in postmenopausal women: a yearlong intervention

Summary Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been reported to exert a positive effect on preserving muscle strength following the menopause, however, the mechanism of action remains unclear. We examined whether the mechanism involved preservation of muscle composition as determined by skeletal musc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical physiology and functional imaging 2005-09, Vol.25 (5), p.297-304
Main Authors: Taaffe, Dennis R., Sipilä, Sarianna, Cheng, Sulin, Puolakka, Jukka, Toivanen, Jarmo, Suominen, Harri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipose Tissue - anatomy & histology
Analysis of Variance
Body Size
Body Weight
computed tomography
Double-Blind Method
Estrogen Replacement Therapy
Exercise
Female
Hounsfield units
Humans
Middle Aged
muscle performance
Muscle, Skeletal - anatomy & histology
Muscle, Skeletal - diagnostic imaging
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology
Postmenopause - physiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Summary Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been reported to exert a positive effect on preserving muscle strength following the menopause, however, the mechanism of action remains unclear. We examined whether the mechanism involved preservation of muscle composition as determined by skeletal muscle attenuation. Eighty women aged 50–57 years were randomly assigned to either: HRT, exercise (Ex), HRT + exercise (ExHRT), and control (Co) for 1 year. The study was double‐blinded with subjects receiving oestradiol and norethisterone acetate (Kliogest) or placebo. Exercise included progressive high‐impact training for the lower limbs. Skeletal muscle attenuation in Hounsfield units (HU) was determined by computed tomography of the mid‐thigh. Areas examined were the quadriceps compartment (includes intermuscular adipose tissue), quadriceps muscles, the posterior compartment and posterior muscles. Muscle performance was determined by knee extensor strength, vertical jump height, and running speed over 20 m. Fifty‐one women completed the intervention. Vertical jump height and running speed improved in the HRT and ExHRT groups compared with Co (interaction, P
ISSN:1475-0961
1475-097X
DOI:10.1111/j.1475-097X.2005.00628.x