Metabolic impact of endogenously produced estrogens by adipose tissue in females and males across the lifespan.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic literature without systematic search or original data
PubMed 41180177 · doi:10.3389/fendo.2025.1682231
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes literature regarding sex differences in white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolism across aging, obesity, and diabetes. It specifically examines the local biosynthesis of estrogens (estrone [E1] and estradiol [E2]) from circulating androgens via aromatase (CYP19A1) in adipose tissue and discusses their effects on local and systemic metabolic health.
What was found
The abstract reports no original quantitative data or effect estimates. It highlights that pre-menopausal women have lower visceral adiposity compared to men, but intra-abdominal fat and diabetes risk increase after menopause. Following menopause, WAT becomes the primary source of estrogen production, predominantly generating estrone (E1) rather than ovarian estradiol (E2). Increased WAT aromatase expression with age and obesity leads to elevated E1 levels, which emerging literature links to metabolic dysfunction.
Why it matters
It highlights adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ producing sex steroids, suggesting that post-menopausal shifts toward adipose-derived estrone synthesis may represent a mechanism underlying age-related metabolic decline.
Limits
As a narrative review, it contains no new human data, meta-analytic pooling, or systematic search methodology. The abstract provides no specific numerical effect sizes or risk ratios, and clear causal roles of WAT-derived estrone in human disease remain under investigation.
Cited by
- supports Fat cells synthesize estrogen, alter ovulation, and generate inflammatory signals.