Context: After menopause, fat mass (FM) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) increase and nonbone lean body mass (LBM) decreases. Whether menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) reverses these changes remains controversial.
Objective: To assess the effect of MHT on FM, VAT, and LBM before and after its withdrawal and evaluate potential confounders.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: General community.
Patients or other participants: Women of the OsteoLaus cohort (50 to 80 years old) who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with body composition assessment. After we excluded women with estrogen-modifying medications, the 1053 participants were categorized into current users (CUs), past users (PUs), and never users (NUs) of MHT.
Intervention: None.
Main outcome measures: VAT measured by DXA was the primary outcome. We assessed subtotal and android FM, LBM, muscle strength (hand grip), and confounding factors (caloric intake, physical activity, biomarkers).
Results: The groups significantly differed in age, NU < CU < PU. Age-adjusted VAT was lower in CUs than NUs (P = 0.03). CUs exhibited lower age-adjusted body mass index (BMI) (-0.9 kg/m2) and a trend for lower FM (-1.3 kg). The 10-year gain of VAT (P < 0.01) and subtotal and android FM (P < 0.05) was prevented in CUs. No difference in LBM or hand grip was detected. No residual effect was detected for PUs, including for early MHT discontinuers. The confounding factors did not significantly differ between groups except for higher caloric intake in PUs compared with NUs.
Conclusions: MHT is associated with significantly decreased VAT, BMI, and android FM. No benefit is detected for LBM. The benefits are not preserved in PUs, suggesting caution when MHT is discontinued.