Menopausal women are at greater risk of insulin resistance as a result of declining estrogen levels. Previous studies evaluating the potential benefits of hormone therapy on insulin resistance have produced mixed results. However, a new meta-analysis of 17 different randomized, controlled trials suggests hormone therapy can be beneficial.
Results of the meta-analysis will be presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Chicago September 10-14. Insulin resistance can occur in men or women, but menopausal women are at greater risk because, as estrogen levels fall during the menopause transition, the body can become less responsive to insulin. A diagnosis of insulin resistance is considered serious because it can be a precursor of prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic disorders.
A number of studies have previously attempted to determine the potential positive effect of hormone therapy on insulin resistance. However, those studies produced inconsistent results. But in this new metaanalysis of 17 unique randomized, controlled trials that covered more than 29,000 participants between 1998 and 2024, it was found that hormone therapy significantly reduced insulin resistance in healthy postmenopausal women without metabolic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
Cumulative totals of the 17 different trials included 15,350 participants who were randomized to hormone therapy including estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestogen .