Hrt

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There has been 2 seperate studies down here in oz over the last 3 weeks that claim there is a proven link between HRT and an increase in heart disease. Im not sure who did the reasearch, i will try and find and post it up.

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Another Study Sees Heart Risks in Hormone Replacement Therapy
07.11.07, 12:00 AM ET

WEDNESDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Yet another study confirms that hormone replacement therapy should not be used in older women to help prevent heart disease, although it appears to be safe and effective in relieving menopausal symptoms in younger women.
In fact, in older women hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased the risk of cardiovascular problems and blood clots, the study found.

Results of the study -- the WISDOM trial -- were published in the July 11 online issue of the British Medical Journal.

"WISDOM confirms that there's no justification for older women using hormones for prevention of heart disease," said Dr. Wulf H. Utian, executive director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). "But for a generally healthy perimenopausal or early postmenopausal woman suffering from genuine menopause-related symptoms that are causing her distress, then hormones are the gold standard and are basically safe."

The landmark U.S. Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial was halted in 2002 after finding that postmenopausal women taking HRT had more heart attacks and strokes than women who did not use hormones.

More recent research has started to emerge suggesting that the risks may apply only to older women, not to those closer to menopause.

The WISDOM (Women's International Study of Long Duration Oestrogen After Menopause) trial was also halted after the first results of the Women's Health Initiative were published.

Unlike the Women's Health Initiative, however, WISDOM had not finished enrolling participants and wasn't big enough to draw firm conclusions, although the findings as they stand do confirm the WHI findings, Utian said.

The WISDOM trial looked at 5,692 healthy women, average age 63, in Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Women who had not had a hysterectomy were randomly selected to receive combined hormone therapy (estrogen plus progesterone) or a placebo. Women who had undergone a hysterectomy were randomly chosen to receive the combined hormone treatment, estrogen alone or a placebo.

The participants were followed for an average of one year.

Those women taking the combined hormone therapy had more major cardiovascular events -- angina, heart attack or sudden coronary death -- and blood clots, compared to women taking a placebo.

The incidence of stroke, cancer, fractures and overall deaths was not markedly different between the two groups.

Overall, the findings echo other recent research and confirm a role for hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms in younger women.

"The doomsday statements from the WHI investigators in 2002 that women should get off hormones, that there was too high a risk, was a lot over the top," Utian said. "WHI was never a study about menopause. It was about whether hormones could prevent heart disease in older women."

Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, director of midlife health at the University of Virginia Health Systems and a member of the board of trustees of NAMS, said, "This [new study] confirms in a small population what we found with the WHI. HRT for [heart disease] prevention is not effective or safe. We're feeling comfortable about using HRT for menopausal symptoms potentially up to 10 years from menopause, and otherwise we have to individualize it. There are both risks and benefits."

Recent research has found that hormones may have a role in preventing heart disease in younger women, but conclusive proof is still lacking.

"NAMS is saying that even though it seems that younger women may get some preventive effect, that should be taken as a reassurance but not as a single reason in itself to prescribe hormones," Utian said.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, "HRT in younger women is safe but has risks in older women. It goes back to the age question. All of this data is so important for us to understand."

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there is also many studies that link heart disease and many other ailments to low test levels..

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there is also many studies that link heart disease and many other ailments to low test levels..

im not for or against, i read this kinda stuff with an open mind, but do you believe there is no increased risk of heart disease or elevated cholestrol levels with hormone use?

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there is also many studies that link heart disease and many other ailments to low test levels..

A New, Independent Risk Factor for Heart Disease

William Faloon

Conventional doctors have long recognized obesity, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes as major risk factors for a heart attack. A startling report reveals a new, independent risk factor that markedly affects the severity of coronary artery disease.

As most Life Extension members know, angina and heart attacks often manifest when the major coronary arteries become occluded with unstable atherosclerotic plaque. In a newly published study, doctors measured the degree of coronary artery disease using angiographies and then carefully evaluated all of the known risk factors that could explain the blocked coronary arteries.

The surprising finding from this new study is that blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and body mass index may not be the major predictors of degree of coronary artery blockage. Instead, the three independent risk factors that predicted the severity of coronary artery occlusion were age, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and free testosterone. In this instance, “independent risk factor” means that if you did everything else recommended to protect your heart, you would still be at greater risk for serious coronary artery blockage if you had low testosterone and low HDL.


In this study, aged men with low free testosterone and low HDL showed more severe coronary blockage, leading the doctors to conclude:

“These findings, together with the findings of previous studies from other laboratories, raise the possibility that in men selected for coronary arteriography, age, HDL, and free testosterone may be stronger predictors of degree of coronary artery disease than are blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and body mass index (BMI).”1

What These Findings Mean to You
The aging arterial system, along with low levels of beneficial HDL, has long been associated with coronary artery disease. The unexpected finding in this study was that low free testosterone is also an independent predictor of the degree of coronary artery disease in men.

Life Extension members take many steps to protect their arterial systems against the deleterious effects of aging. They keep homocysteine, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), glucose, C-reactive protein, and other atherosclerosis-inducing factors at the lowest possible levels.

Artery-protecting HDL can be increased by taking high doses of niacin and chromium, and/or one glass of red wine per day.2-6 Increasing free testosterone is relatively simple to do in any man who does not have prostate cancer.

Over the past year, a remarkable number of studies have confirmed that low testosterone adversely affects cardiovascular health. We will discuss these reports and also update members on the latest studies about testosterone and prostate cancer risk.


Testosterone and Stroke Risk
One way to evaluate one’s risk for a stroke is to undergo a sonogram to measure carotid artery thickness. When excess occlusion is detected, a risky surgical procedure (carotid endarterectomy) is performed to restore blood flow to the brain.

In a study published by the American Heart Association in April 2004, sonograms were used to measure the carotid intima-media thickness in 195 independently living elderly men in 1996 and again in 2000. The researchers also measured blood levels of free testosterone in these men.

The results showed that men with low testosterone had a 3.57 times greater progression of carotid intima-media thickening than those with higher testosterone levels. These associations were independent of body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and serum cholesterol levels. The doctors concluded:

“Low free testosterone levels were related to intima-media thickening of the common carotid artery in elderly men independently of cardiovascular risk factors.”7

Testosterone for Chronic Heart Failure
Chronic heart failure is a disabling condition characterized by exercise intolerance and shortness of breath. The disease arises from prolonged inflammatory cytokine activation that also causes severe muscle wasting. Testosterone in-creases anabolic function, improves arterial dilation, augments cardiac output, and is known to have anti-inflammatory activities. Low testosterone is a common characteristic in men suffering from heart failure.


In a report published this year, 20 men with an average age of 62 took part in a randomized study in which testosterone or placebo was injected every two weeks for 12 weeks. Compared to the placebo group, men receiving testosterone could walk 3.5 times farther. Mean symptom scores and a critical blood measurement of heart function (brain natriuretic peptide) improved in men receiving testosterone, but not in the placebo group. A trend toward improved mood scores was noted in the testosterone group, which is important because men with chronic heart failure have high rates of depression. The doctors concluded that 12 weeks of testosterone treatment led to significant improvements in physical capacity and symptoms.8

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do you believe there is no increased risk of heart disease or elevated cholestrol levels with hormone use?

I believe there is an increased risk yes. But I also believe there is an increased risk when hormone levels are to low.

I am just pointing out that there are studies for both sides. Everything is an "increased risk" bro. By working out, you are at an increased risk for getting an injury..

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lol, ya agreed

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lol, ya agreed

good posts though bro. it is always interesting to read studies on a subject from both sides.