Hormone Therapy and Biological Aging in Postmenopausal Women
Main finding · Biological aging discrepancy (phenotypic age)Result — go to the resultβ −0.17 years 95% CI −0.23 to −0.10Authors' conclusion
In this study, postmenopausal women with historical HT use were biologically younger than those not receiving HT, with a more evident association observed in those with low SES. The biological aging discrepancy mediated the association between HT and decreased mortality. Promoting HT in postmenopausal women could be important for healthy aging.
Study context
- Population
- Postmenopausal women registered in the UK Biobank; baseline survey March 2006 to October 2010; mean (SD) age 60.2 (5.4) years
- Participants
- 117,763 women
- Exposure
- Ever use of hormone therapy (HT) vs never use of HT
- Ever HTn = 47,461
- Outcome
- Biological aging discrepancy, evaluated using validated phenotypic age (chronological age and 9 biomarkers measured at baseline)
- Follow-up
- Baseline
Methodological detailsUK Biobank, Data analyses conducted in December 2023
- UK Biobank
- Data analyses conducted in December 2023
Main finding
Biological aging discrepancy (phenotypic age)
β
−0.17 years
95% CI −0.23 to −0.10
As reported in the abstract
- Mean phenotypic age (all women)
- 52.1 (7.9) years
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Biological aging discrepancy by age at starting HT
- Started HT at age ≥55 years: β
- −0.32 years (95% CI, −0.48 to −0.15 years)
- Smaller aging discrepancy more evident
Biological aging discrepancy by HT duration
- HT used for 4 to 8 years: β
- −0.25 years (95% CI, −0.35 to −0.15 years)
- Smaller aging discrepancy more evident
Association of HT with biological aging discrepancy by socioeconomic status (SES) (education)
- Higher education: β
- −0.08 years (95% CI, −0.17 to 0.01)
- Other education: β
- −0.23 years (95% CI, −0.32 to −0.14)
- P for interaction
- P for interaction = 0.02
- Association more evident in women with low SES
Mediation of HT–mortality association by phenotypic aging discrepancy
- Proportion of association between HT and all-cause and cause-specific mortality mediated
- 12.7% (95% CI, 6.3% to 23.9%)
Original publication
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