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Increase in Visceral Fat During Menopause Linked With Testosterone CHICAGO -- August 20, 2009 -- In middle-aged women, visceral fat is known to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but what causes visceral fat to accumulate? The culprit is likely not age, as is commonly believed, but the change in hormone balance that occurs during the menopause transition, according to a study published online in the journal Obesity. “Of all the factors we analysed that could possibly account for the increase in visceral fat during this period in a woman’s lifetime, levels of active testosterone proved to be the one most closely linked with abdominal fat,” said lead investigator Imke Janssen, PhD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. The study included 359 women in menopausal transition, aged 42 to 60 years. Fat in the abdominal cavity was measured with computed tomography (CT) scans, a more precise measurement than waist size. Blood tests were used to assess levels of testosterone and oestradiol. Medical histories covered other health factors possibly linked with an increase in visceral fat. Statistical analyses showed that the level of bioavailable testosterone was the strongest predictor of visceral fat. A woman’s age did not correlate significantly with the amount of visceral fat. Nor did race or other cardiovascular risk factors. The level of oestradiol also bore little relationship to the amount of visceral fat. “For many years, it was thought that estrogen protected premenopausal women against cardiovascular disease and that the increased cardiovascular risk after menopause was related only to the loss of estrogen’s protective effect,” said Dr. Janssen. “But our studies suggest that in women, it is the change in the hormonal balance -- specifically, the increase in active testosterone -- that is predominantly responsible for visceral fat, and for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease.” SOURCE: Rush University Medical Center E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version