Research
Hormonal
Long-term Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) in postmenopausal women is associated with larger contractile cross-sectional area compared to non-ERT women, though it does not significantly affect intramuscular fat content.
For postmenopausal women, long-term ERT may help preserve muscle mass (contractile area), though it does not appear to reduce intramuscular fat. This is a preliminary finding with a small sample size, so decisions about ERT should be made with a doctor based on individual health risks and benefits.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Contractile CSA was greater with than without ERT, whereas there was no difference in absolute (cm2) or percent noncontractile areas.
Why this rating
Small sample size (n=5 per group), preliminary data, observational cross-sectional design.
Source
Skeletal muscle contractile and noncontractile components in young and older women and men
Jane A. Kent‐Braun et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2000
DOI 10.1152/jappl.2000.88.2.662
cross_sectional · n=44Cited 341×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Aging is associated with a significant increase in intramuscular noncontractile (fat) content and a decrease in contractile cross-sectional area, resulting in a >2-fold increase in fat relative to muscle mass in older adults compared to young adults.Strong
- In older adults (65-83 years), higher habitual physical activity is significantly associated with lower intramuscular noncontractile (fat) content, whereas this relationship is absent in young adults (26-44 years).Good
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