Testosterone Increase Linked to Higher Cardiovascular Disease Risk

As testosterone takes over from estrogen as the dominant hormone in women as they make the transition to menopause, the frequency of metabolic syndrome increases, according to a new study.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The risk factors that comprise metabolic syndrome include:

• Abdominal obesity – a waist size larger than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men
• High blood pressure –130/85 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) or higher
• Insulin resistance – cells in overweight or obese people have a harder time responding to insulin, increasing the risk of diabetes
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol and high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• Proinflammatory state – elevated levels of C-reactive protein, which is believed to be an inflammation marker
• Prothrombotic state – an elevated level of blood clotting factors

Based on a nine-year study of 949 women, researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found a larger increase in metabolic syndrome among women making the transition to menopause than in post-menopausal women.

“Our study data shows that the change in estrogen level is, at best, a weak and nonsignificant predictor of metabolic syndrome risk,” says lead investigator Imke Janssen, Ph.D. “A more likely story is that the progressive testosterone predominance exerts a direct negative effect on cardiovascular risk.”

JoAnn Pinkerton, M.D., Director of the University of Virginia’s Midlife Health Center, notes that there is a great deal of discussion about whether hormone therapy increases or decreases the risk of heart disease at menopause.

“This study will open the door to more research about [combating hormone changes] while relieving menopausal symptoms,” Pinkerton says.

Current recommendations for hormone therapy, she adds, are that it doesn’t significantly increase the risk of heart disease for women younger than 60 or within 10 years of menopause.

Pinkerton points out this study concluded that women were at highest risk of acquiring metabolic syndrome during their transition to menopause. There are several steps women can take to reduce their risk of metabolic syndrome during their transition to menopause, she says:

• Quit smoking
• Eat a low-fat diet
• Get adequate sleep
• Reduce stress levels
• Minimize alcohol consumption
• Get regular exercise (30 minutes a day, five days a week)