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Although estrogen has been associated with health risks, research suggests that it may also have an upside for some postmenopausal women.
A Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study found that there was a significantly lower risk of coronary artery calcification, a predictor of heart attacks, among women in their 50s with hysterectomies who had taken estrogen during the study period, than those who hadn't.
Researchers emphasized, however, that hormone replacement therapy does still have other known medical risks, and that these new findings don't mean estrogen can be used to prevent heart attacks.
"Heart disease is complex, and the effect of estrogen on one risk factor does not adequately predict the risk of having a heart attack," Dr. Marcia Stefanick of WHI explained to Medical News Today. "But this study offers some reassurance for women of menopausal age that it's not unsafe, in terms of the risk of heart attack, to take estrogen, at least for a few years."
Find out what you can do starting now to protect your heart.
â¢ How to Eat for a Healthy Heart: Advice from a top cardiologist
â¢ Be Good to Your Heart: Be aware of heart disease risks
Have you considered taking estrogen? Discuss in the Comments. —Kitty Raymond
Source [Medical News Today]