Results of a recent study may help to explain why many women put on weight after the menopause. Judy Cameron and colleagues at Oregon Health & Science University induced menopause in monkeys by removing the ovaries, and thus cutting off the animals’ supply of the female hormone estrogen. Results showed that removing the ovaries made the animals’ food intake increase by 67% and caused them to gain 5% of their body weight within weeks. The researchers say that the findings suggest that estrogen may affect the metabolism, or play a role in appetite control.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 13th November 2003.
