MidLife
Haven't studies already proved HRT decreases heart disease and osteoporosis?
No study has proven that HRT will reduce heart attacks. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of HRT on heart disease and have suggested that HRT decreases heart disease risk or heart disease risk factors such as LDL levels (bad cholesterol). However, these studies were mostly observational studies where women themselves (or their physicians) chose HRT and were followed over time. Such studies are not reliable. They were not controlled enough to offer definitive answers.
HRT appears to lower the risk of osteoporosis. The WHI HRT study component will attempt to demonstrate that HRT not only slows bone loss, but also prevents actual bone fractures.
A particular feature of WHI is that it will track the long-term use of HRT. If hormones are to be used to prevent heart disease, they will need to be prescribed for a long time, perhaps decades.
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Source: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
