The following is a summary of “Age But Not Menopausal Status Is Linked to Lower Resting Energy Expenditure,” published in the November 2023 issue of Endocrinology by Karppinen, et al.
Uncertainty persisted regarding the association between aging before late adulthood and menopause with fat-free mass and fat mass–adjusted resting energy expenditure (REEadj). For a study, researchers sought to investigate potential differences in REEadj between middle-aged and younger women and among middle-aged women with distinct menopausal statuses. Additionally, age group comparisons were repeated between middle-aged mothers and their daughters to partially control for genotype. The study also explored whether serum estradiol and FSH concentrations could account for variations in REEadj in midlife.
A total of 120 women, including 16 mother-daughter pairs, were categorized into age groups: group I (n = 26, ages 17 to 21), group II (n = 35, ages 22 to 38), and group III (n = 59, ages 41 to 58). Group III was further subdivided into pre- or perimenopausal (n = 19), postmenopausal (n = 30), and postmenopausal hormone therapy users (n = 10). REE was assessed using indirect calorimetry, body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and hormones using immunoassays.
Group I exhibited a 126 kcal/day higher REEadj (95% CI: 93-160) than group III, and group II had an 88 kcal/day higher REEadj (95% CI: 49-127). Daughters showed a 100 kcal/day higher REEadj (95% CI: 63-138 kcal/day) than their middle-aged mothers (all P < .001). In group III, REEadj did not decrease in postmenopausal women and did not vary based on sex hormone concentrations.
The study demonstrated a decline in REEadj with age in women before late adulthood, even when partially controlling for genetic background, suggesting that menopause may not contribute significantly to this decline.
Source: academic.oup.com/jcem/article/108/11/2789/7188953
