Hormone replacement influences homocysteine levels in the methionine-loading test: a randomized placebo controlled trial in postmenopausal women
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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
R G V Smolders1, K de Meer, P Kenemans
1Project Aging Women, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute for Cardiovascular Research-Vrije Universiteit, VU University Medical Center, PO Box 7057, Amsterdam 1007 MB, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the mechanism by which exogenous oestrogen influences the homocysteine metabolism in postmenopausal women.
Study Design:
A randomized placebo controlled trial in which a methionine-loading test was performed, in 25 healthy postmenopausal women, before and after a 12-week oral treatment with placebo or daily 4 mg 17beta-estradiol with (HRT) or without (ERT) 10 mg dydrogesterone. Fasting and post-load homocysteine as well as Vitamins B(6), B(12) and folate were determined.
Results:
In both treatment groups a significant 12% decrease in fasting homocysteine was observed. This decrease was accompanied by a post-load homocysteine increase of more than 20%. Vitamin B(6) values were decreased by more than 25%.
Conclusion:
The hormone therapy induced lowering of fasting homocysteine and Vitamin B(6) levels and an increase in post-load homocysteine, supporting the hypothesis that homocysteine-methionine metabolism is modulated by hormone therapy in postmenopausal women.
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