The association between hormone replacement therapy and sarcopenia in postmenopausal women: The korea national health and nutrition examination survey, 2008–2011

Sung Woo Kim; Jinu Kim; Eonju Jeon; Ji-Hyun Lee; Ho-Sang Shon

doi:10.1530/endoabs.70.AEP796

Objective: Menopausal transition contributes to sarcopenia, but the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on sarcopenia in postmenopausal women have not been determined. This study assessed the effect of HRT on sarcopenia in postmenopausal women.

Methods: The present study included 4,254 postmenopausal women who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys in 2008–2011. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by weight (ASM/Wt) and the prevalence of sarcopenia were analyzed in groups of women stratified by duration of HRT.

Results: ASM/Wt was higher and the prevalence of sarcopenia was lower in subjects with a history of prolonged (≥ 13 months) than in subjects without a history of HRT. After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, HRT remained significantly associated with estimated mean ASM/Wt and the prevalence of sarcopenia (odds ratio: 0.59; 95% confidence interval: 0.40–0.87; P < 0.01). A multivariate model showed that ASM/Wt and the prevalence of sarcopenia were independently associated with age, history of hypertension, physical activity, age at menopause, and a history of HRT. Subgroup analysis showed that the association between duration of HRT and the prevalence of sarcopenia was maintained in younger (< 65 years old) and leaner (body mass index < 25 kg/m²) postmenopausal women.

**Table 1** Odds ratios for the prevalence of sarcopenia in postmenopausal women stratified by duration of hormone replacement therapy.
	No HRT (n = 3,656)	HRT for 1–12 months (n = 302)	HRT for ≥ 13 months (n = 275)	P for trend
Unadjusted	1 (ref)	0.93 (0.68–1.27)	0.67 (0.47–0.95)^*	0.08
Model 1	1 (ref)	0.95 (0.69–1.31)	0.64 (0.45–0.92)^*	0.05
Model 2	1 (ref)	0.90 (0.66–1.24)	0.59 (0.40–0.87)^**	0.03
Data were analyzed using complex samples logistic regression and are expressed as odds ratio (95% confidence interval). Model 1: adjusted for age, age at menarche, age at menopause, and number of pregnancies. Model 2: adjusted for age, age at menarche, age at menopause, number of pregnancies, past history of OC, past histories of DM and HTN, smoking history, physical activity, and energy intake (total, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats). ^P < 0.05, ^*P < 0.01.

Conclusions: The present study showed that prolonged HRT was associated with high muscle mass and a low prevalence of sarcopenia in postmenopausal women, suggesting that HRT may have a protective effect on sarcopenia in postmenopausal women.

Endocrine Abstracts

AEP796