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CNN Live Today
Daily Dose: Hormone Loss may be Linked to Weight Gain
Aired November 14, 2003 - 11:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ladies, if you feel like you're gaining weight as you're getting older, it might not necessarily be your fault. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen bringing along our "Daily Dose" of health news. Once again, we're blaming it on the hormones.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You got to blame it on hormones. Actually, in this case, a lack of hormones is what seems to be leading to weight gain, especially if you look at monkeys.
This was a study that was done in Oregon that looked at menopausal monkeys -- yes, there is such a thing as menopausal monkeys. Monkeys, rhesus macaques, like the ones that you see here, were put into menopause and they found they ate a whole lot more. In fact, 67 percent more.
And when they looked at their weight in just six weeks, the monkeys gained 5 percent of their body weight. And they blamed hormones and the effect it has on metabolism. These poor monkeys, they just didn't know what hit them.
KAGAN: And we feel sorry for the monkeys but what's this mean to our fellow women out there? The humans?
COHEN: Menopausal monkeys, this is really bad news. And this might be bad if you are a menopausal woman because monkeys -- female monkeys and women actually have similar hormonal cycles. So this could be why some menopausal women find that they do gain weight.
And there's really not a whole lot you can do about it. But at least if you're through menopause, if it happens, you know it's not your fault and you can just work harder on diet and exercise.
KAGAN: And This brings us back around to the discussion that you and I have here had many times about hormone replacement therapy.
COHEN: Yes, many time because there have been so studies that have come out that says that hormone replacement therapy can be very bad news, it can possibly cause heart disease and breast cancer or certainly put you at a higher risk for those diseases.
So this is not a good reason to go on hormone replacement therapy although some studies have shown that when women go on HRT, they do in fact lose weight. But there are such risks that you would want it talk to your doctor. You wouldn't want to make weight loss the reason for going on hormone replacement therapy.
KAGAN: No, but again we come up with these things like do you smoke and lose weight? And women make some bad trade-offs on that.
COHEN: Right, just because of weight.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: There are some good reasons to go on HRT. This would not be one of them.
KAGAN: Very well said. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 14, 2003 - 11:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ladies, if you feel like you're gaining weight as you're getting older, it might not necessarily be your fault. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen bringing along our "Daily Dose" of health news. Once again, we're blaming it on the hormones.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You got to blame it on hormones. Actually, in this case, a lack of hormones is what seems to be leading to weight gain, especially if you look at monkeys.
This was a study that was done in Oregon that looked at menopausal monkeys -- yes, there is such a thing as menopausal monkeys. Monkeys, rhesus macaques, like the ones that you see here, were put into menopause and they found they ate a whole lot more. In fact, 67 percent more.
And when they looked at their weight in just six weeks, the monkeys gained 5 percent of their body weight. And they blamed hormones and the effect it has on metabolism. These poor monkeys, they just didn't know what hit them.
KAGAN: And we feel sorry for the monkeys but what's this mean to our fellow women out there? The humans?
COHEN: Menopausal monkeys, this is really bad news. And this might be bad if you are a menopausal woman because monkeys -- female monkeys and women actually have similar hormonal cycles. So this could be why some menopausal women find that they do gain weight.
And there's really not a whole lot you can do about it. But at least if you're through menopause, if it happens, you know it's not your fault and you can just work harder on diet and exercise.
KAGAN: And This brings us back around to the discussion that you and I have here had many times about hormone replacement therapy.
COHEN: Yes, many time because there have been so studies that have come out that says that hormone replacement therapy can be very bad news, it can possibly cause heart disease and breast cancer or certainly put you at a higher risk for those diseases.
So this is not a good reason to go on hormone replacement therapy although some studies have shown that when women go on HRT, they do in fact lose weight. But there are such risks that you would want it talk to your doctor. You wouldn't want to make weight loss the reason for going on hormone replacement therapy.
KAGAN: No, but again we come up with these things like do you smoke and lose weight? And women make some bad trade-offs on that.
COHEN: Right, just because of weight.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: There are some good reasons to go on HRT. This would not be one of them.
KAGAN: Very well said. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
