The response to treatment of overweight in postmenopausal women is not related to fat distribution

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether fat distribution or sex hormone status in overweight postmenopausal women do influence the response to treatment of overweight.

DESIGN: Longitudinal, clinical intervention study of a 4.2 MJ diet daily with or without exercise.

SUBJECTS: 98 healthy, overweight, postmenopausal women (age: 49-58 y, BMI: 25-42 kg/m2).

MEASUREMENTS: Various fatness and fat distribution parameters (by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and anthropometry), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), sex hormones, and the resting energy expenditure (REE) at baseline and after 3 months.

RESULTS: Reductions in weight and fat were independent of the initial fat distribution and the REE, but were significantly associated with high initial SHBG levels. Furthermore, loss of fat was significantly and independently associated with increases in SHBG and reductions in central fat distribution.

CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women with an android and gynoid fat distribution respond with similar weight loss to treatment of overweight. Furthermore, a more healthy, less android, fat distribution and sex hormone status may be achieved with increasing weight loss.