Clinical review: Menopause hormone therapy in weight management.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative clinical review incorporating targeted literature search and expert opinion without systematic methodology
PubMed 41883510 · doi:10.1016/j.obpill.2026.100258
What was done
The author conducted an evidence-informed clinical review using a targeted literature search and expert clinical interpretation to summarize the role of menopause hormone therapy (MHT) in body composition and weight management for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data or specific numerical effect sizes. It qualitatively notes that prior randomized trials and meta-analyses show MHT may attenuate central fat accumulation and preserve favorable body composition, but is not indicated as a primary weight-loss intervention. Observational data hinting at potential synergy between MHT and anti-obesity medications are noted to be limited by small sample sizes and retrospective designs.
Why it matters
This review clarifies clinical boundaries by emphasizing that MHT should be reserved for established indications like vasomotor symptoms and bone loss rather than prescribed or marketed as an obesity intervention.
Limits
This is a narrative review with targeted rather than systematic search methods and contains no new human data. The abstract provides no specific metrics or sample sizes. Evidence combining MHT with obesity pharmacotherapy is preliminary, observational, and vulnerable to confounding.
Cited by
- supports Perimenopause is associated with an 8 to 10% annual increase in visceral fat.