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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access published online on June 26, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, doi:10.1093/gerona/glp082
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Hormone Therapy and Skeletal Muscle Strength: A Meta-Analysis

Sarah M. Greising1, Kristen A. Baltgalvis2, Dawn A. Lowe1 and Gordon L. Warren3

1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
3 Division of Physical Therapy, Georgia State University, Atlanta

Address correspondence to Dawn A. Lowe, PhD, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 388, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Email: lowex017{at}umn.edu


  Abstract

Background: Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the research literature that compared muscle strength in postmenopausal women who were and were not on estrogen-based hormone therapy (HT).

Methods: Twenty-three relevant studies were found. Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated as the standardized mean difference, and meta-analyses were completed using a random effects model.

Results: HT was found to result in a small beneficial effect on muscle strength in postmenopausal women (overall ES = 0.23; p = .003) that equated to an ~5% greater strength for women on HT. Among the 23 studies, various muscle groups were assessed for strength, and those that benefitted the most were the thumb adductors (ES = 1.14; p < .001). Ten studies that compared muscle strength in rodents that were and were not estradiol deficient were also analyzed. The ES for absolute strength was moderate but not statistically significant (ES = 0.44; p = .12), whereas estradiol had a large effect on strength normalized to muscle size (ES = 0.66; p = .03).

Conclusion: Overall, estrogen-based treatments were found to beneficially affect strength.

Keywords Hormone replacement therapy; Estradiol; Postmenopausal

Received: February 25, 2009; Accepted: May 19, 2009

Decision Editor: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD


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