Current guidance to use menopausal hormone therapy as briefly as possible should be interpreted to mean no more than two years because that’s when breast-cancer risk rises, two new reports suggest.
Among women taking the hormones estrogen and progestin, the chance of breast cancer didn’t increase during the first two years – which Wyeth Pharmaceuticals says is now the average length of therapy using its popular hormone brands.
While the women’s Read the rest of this entry »

A new analysis of the groundbreaking federal Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study has revealed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT), even when taken over short periods of time, is linked to breast cancer.  The Associated Press (AP) reports that taking HRT for as little as five years doubles one’s risk of developing breast cancer. The WHI looked at the effect of hormone medications on the prevention of heart disease, bone loss, and other problems Read the rest of this entry »

Leptin resistance has long been linked to obesity, and a number of studies have shown that overconsumption of fructose may be an important factor in the United States’ obesity epidemic. This new study is the first to link fructose and leptin resistance.
The researchers found that rats became leptin-resistant after being fed a high-fructose diet for six months. There were no visible signs that leptin resistance was occurring, but the fructose-fed Read the rest of this entry »

TUESDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) — A drug designed to increase the body’s production of growth hormone may help treat frailty in older adults, a new study shows.
Older adults have greatly reduced production of growth hormone, which regulates metabolism and helps build muscle mass. Age-related decreases in strength and physical agility can led to disability and loss of independence.
“By boosting the production of growth hormones, we may be able Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, which older women abandoned in droves following the news that it may increase the risk of breast cancer, may substantially cut the risk of colorectal cancer, research shows.
The greatest risk reduction — 48 percent — was observed among women who had used a combined estrogen plus progestin hormone regimen for 2 to 5 years, the investigators report in the latest issue Read the rest of this entry »

They’re touted as safer and sometimes even more effective than conventional hormone-replacement therapy.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that these claims are “unproven” and that the products are “potentially dangerous.” What’s more, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy — or “BHRT” — is a “marketing term not recognized by FDA,” the agency said.
Experts also are expressing some concerns about the products.
“We don’t know Read the rest of this entry »

Nov. 12, 2008 (New Orleans) — “Natural” hormone creams may help relieve hot flashes, night sweats, depression, and other
, a new study suggests.
As an added benefit, they may also improve
, researchers say.
The researchers studied custom-compounded creams made from plant-derived hormones that are biochemically similar to those produced by the body. A preparation contains one or more various hormones in different amounts to meet each woman’s Read the rest of this entry »