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Most women have a love-hate relationships with estrogen. Studies have shown high levels are at least partially to blame for premenstrual syndrome, endometriosis, fibroids and even breast cancer. But when menopause hits and estrogen levels drop to an all-time low, women suffer from hot flashes, mood swings and bone loss. To top it off, as estrogen levels decline, women gain belly fat.
A new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that postmenopausal women who undergo hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms tend to have less fat tissue, especially in the belly, compared to other postmenopausal women. For the study, researchers collected data on hormone therapy use in 1,086 postmenopausal women between ages 50 and 80. All the women included in the study underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans to measure their body fat.