Characterizing the role of menopausal status and hormone therapy on modifiable health behaviors and their association with body composition, physical function, and metabolic health
Maryam Aghayan, Jillian Shillito, Jennifer M. Jakobi, Mahsa Jessri, Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Sarah A. PurcellObjectives:
This study characterized longitudinal changes in the associations between modifiable health behaviors (MHBs) and health outcomes, considering variations by menopausal status and hormone therapy (HT) use.
Methods:
Baseline and 3-year follow-up data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were used. Participants were categorized into pre/perimenopausal, postmenopausal-HT-naïve, postmenopausal-current HT users, and postmenopausal-previous HT users. MHBs included diet quality (PURE diet score), total physical activity, and sleep duration; health outcomes included fat mass index (FMI), appendicular skeletal muscle index, gait speed, handgrip strength, and metabolic health z-score. Linear mixed models were used to examine the main and interaction effects of time, MHBs, and menopausal/HT group on each outcome, adjusting for age and demographic covariates.
Results:
In all, 10,165 females were included (age: 61.3±9.9 y; 67.6% postmenopausal). The PURE diet score did not demonstrate time-dependent interactions with study groups. The association between physical activity and FMI was stronger over time in all postmenopausal groups (time × physical activity × group interaction:
Conclusions:
These findings underscore the evolving influence of MHBs on key health outcomes and the importance of considering menopausal and HT status in longitudinal assessments of aging-related health.