title: The influence of menopause and hormonal replacement therapy on body cell mass and body fat mass.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to determine the efficacy of dietary calcium augmentation in the prevention of early postmenopausal bone density loss in comparison with hormonal replacement therapy and placebo.
  
  
  METHODS
  A three-arm parallel randomized trial comparing the influence of placebo, dietary calcium augmentation, and estrogen-progesterone-calcium in 118 women who were within 6 years of menopause was conducted. Dual photon absorptiometry was performed annually to measure lean and fat mass. In addition, the ratio of fat in the trunk/extremities was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Body weight increased in each group. The increase was statistically significant in the hormone replacement group (0.8 kg/year). The percent of body fat increased in each group from baseline measurements, with the greatest increase in the hormonal replacement group. There was a decline in the extremity/trunk ratio in the hormonal replacement group as a result of a relatively greater increase in the trunk fat mass. There was a rapid rate of loss in lean body mass that was equal among groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Menopause is associated with a gain in fat mass and a loss of lean body mass, but these changes in body composition are not prevented by hormone replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY 11501.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aloia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaswani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flaster
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D002119:Calcium Carbonate