BACKGROUND The "timing hypothesis," in addressing findings from the Women's Health Initiative trial, suggests that hormone therapy (HT) should be initiated within 6 years of the menopause transition to extend a favorable estrogenic environment after menopause. METHODS We compared sex steroid and cardiovascular profiles at the 5-year follow-up visit in a community-based, longitudinal study of ...

Menopause is associated with changes in lipid levels resulting in increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. Hormone therapy (HT) and atorvastatin have been used to improve lipid profile in postmenopausal women. Effects of HT, atorvastatin and APOE polymorphisms on serum lipids and APOE and LXRA expression were evaluated in 87 hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women, randoml...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), like coronary heart disease, is a clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis and is associated with increased mortality. Although atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women as well as for men, PAD in women has received less attention than coronary heart disease or stroke. This paper reviews the prevalence of PAD, its risk fac...

Two men of the same age eat a diet low in fruits and vegetables and high in sodium and saturated fat. One develops hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and eventually atherosclerosis, while the other lives a long life without such chronic disease. In another case, two postmenopausal women consume similar diets low in choline. One develops liver dysfunction due to the choline deficiency, but the ...

background: myocardial infarctions at different locations have been related to different sets of risk factors. this study was designed to examine the association between cardiovascular risk factors and specific coronary artery calcification (cac). methods: the study population comprised 573 postmenopausal women selected from a population-based cohort study. established vascular risk factors wer...

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess the effects of raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, on arterial physiology and biology in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND Raloxifene improves endothelial function and markers of vascular health in vitro in experimental animals and in healthy postmenopausal women. In women whose arteries are affected by advanced a...

The risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis progression is significantly increased after menopause, probably due to the decrease of estrogen levels. The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for prevention of cardiovascular disease in older postmenopausal failed to meet expectations. Phytoestrogens may induce some improvements in climacteric symptoms, but their effect on the progr...

BACKGROUND Postmenopausal estrogen use has been associated with reduced carotid atherosclerosis in observational studies, but this relationship has not been confirmed in a clinical trial. The impact of estrogen on atherosclerotic disease in other peripheral arteries is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease (CHD) and an intact uterus (n=2763) were random...

The association between physiologic levels of sex hormones and QT-interval duration in humans was evaluated using data from 727 men enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and 2,942 men and 1,885 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured in serum...

Objective: Antioxidant and protective effect of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol for atherosclerosis is well known. The decrease of HDL concentration in postmenopausal women can be a reason for increased coronary artery disease due to atherosclerosis. The paraoxonase (PON) enzyme in blood is related with the antioxidant effect of HDL. Catalase (CAT), besides superoxide dismutase and g...