Body weight, fat distribution and the menopausal status in women. The VMH Collaborative Group

Since sex hormones are involved in the regulation of body composition and adipose tissue metabolism, in this study we investigated whether menopause may alter body weight and fat distribution in women. Data were obtained from the Virgilio-Menopause-Health Study, which is a longitudinal epidemiological project aimed at investigating the relationship between menopause and related plasma hormonal concentrations, body weight, fat distribution and health. Only data from the first cross-sectional examination are presented. Out of the 952 women living in the town of Virgilio, Mantua (Italy) and born between January 1st, 1932 and December 31st, 1946, 596 (62.6%) participated in the study. Since incomplete data were present in 19 women, 577 was the final sample size available for statistical analysis. The protocol included a collection of blood for hormones and biochemistry, a full clinical history with socioeconomic and personal information, drug use, smoking, dietary and physical activity habits, and several anthropometric measurements. According to the clinical and hormonal status, 160 women were classified as pre-menopausal, 124 as peri-menopausal and 293 as post-menopausal. After adjusting for age, we found that body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in peri-menopausal than in pre-menopausal women and remained slightly, but again significantly, higher in post-menopausal women. Although waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratios increased significantly and progressively from pre- to post-menopause, any difference was not significant after adjusting for age. Diet, physical activity and smoking habits did not explain the difference in BMI values. No difference was found in the use of estro-progestagen compounds between the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)