Can HRT really keep women slim?

Hormone replacement Therapy (HrT) given to menopausal women can reduce body fat, but the effect disappears once treatment stops, suggests research by Lausanne Univer-sity Hospital in Switzerland.

researchers analysed results from a study of around 1,000 menopausal and post-menopausal women.

It revealed that the women taking HrT had a lower body mass index and less fat tissue than those who’d never taken it. However, most regained their lost weight once they came off HrT.

exactly why is unclear, but the researchers, writing in the Journal of Clinical endocrinol-ogy and metabolism, said it emphasises the need for menopausal women to exercise.