How Women's Bodies Change with Age: The Role of Hormones

Women tend to live longer than men, but they often face more health challenges in their later years. To understand why, researchers studied 96 women aged 18 to 80. They looked at body composition, muscle strength, and hormone levels.

Muscle Changes with Age

As women age, their muscle mass and strength decrease. This happens because muscle fibers shrink and change. The study found that older women have more hybrid muscle fibers, which are a mix of two types. This change might make muscles weaker.

Genetic Impact on Muscle Aging

The study also looked at genes in muscle tissue. It found that aging affects how genes work. Older muscles show:

• More activity in genes related to immune response
• Less activity in genes related to energy production

Hormones and Muscle Health

Hormones play a big role in these changes. The study found:

• Estrogen and progesterone levels were linked to muscle mass and strength.
• Testosterone did not show a strong connection.

This suggests that female hormones influence muscle health as women age.

Post-Menopause Muscle Loss

After menopause, estrogen's effect on muscles seems to decrease. This is because estrogen receptors in muscles become less active. This could explain why muscle loss speeds up after menopause.

Need for Further Research

The study highlights the need for more research. It's not yet clear if hormones directly cause muscle loss. More studies are needed to find out how to keep women's muscles strong as they age.