Hormone Therapy Linked to Slower Biological Aging and Lower Mortality in Postmenopausal Women, Study Finds

The research reveals that women who have historically used HT appear biologically younger than their counterparts who have not received this treatment. This effect is particularly pronounced among women of lower socioeconomic status (SES), suggesting that HT might play a crucial role in promoting healthier aging.

Hormone therapy, commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms associated with menopause, has been the subject of extensive research. Yufan Liu and Chenglong Li from Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, aimed to evaluate the association between HT use and discrepancies between chronological and biological age in postmenopausal women and the potential modifying role of SES.

The population-based, retrospective cohort study focused on postmenopausal women registered in the UK Biobank. Data collection included a baseline survey on hormone therapy (HT) use and biological aging biomarkers, conducted between March 2006 and October 2010, with data analyses completed in December 2023.

Information on HT use, including the age at HT initiation and its duration, was gathered through a touchscreen questionnaire. Socioeconomic status was assessed using measures of education, family income, occupation, and the Townsend Deprivation Index.

The study evaluated biological aging discrepancy by calculating validated phenotypic age, which combines chronological age with nine biomarkers measured at baseline. Additionally, the study assessed all-cause and cause-specific mortality to further understand the impact of HT on health outcomes.

The researchers reported the following findings:

• Among the 117 763 postmenopausal women (mean age, 60.2 years), 40.3% ever used HT. The mean phenotypic age was 52.1 years.
• Ever use of HT was associated with a smaller biological aging discrepancy than never use of HT (β, −0.17 years). This smaller aging discrepancy was more evident in those who started HT at age 55 years or older (β, −0.32 years) and those who used HT for 4 to 8 years (β, −0.25 years).
• The association between HT and a smaller aging discrepancy was more evident in women with low SES, with a significant interaction observed for education (higher education: β, −0.08 years; other education: β, −0.23 years).
• Phenotypic aging discrepancy mediated 12.7% of the association between HT and all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality.

"These findings endorse the use of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women as a means to support healthy aging and address associated health inequalities. However, further research is needed to validate the clinical benefits of this treatment," the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Liu Y, Li C. Hormone Therapy and Biological Aging in Postmenopausal Women. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2430839. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.30839