Estrogen Therapy for Osteoporosis—Even in the Elderly

Excerpt

Compared with some of the other consequences of estrogen replacement therapy, the skeletal effects are well defined and noncontroversial. This is in contrast to other effects of estrogen. Despite dozens of studies about the possible risk for breast cancer, two recent meta-analyses have reached opposite conclusions (1, 2). Although most of the epidemiologic studies have found a beneficial effect of estrogen on coronary artery disease (3), the data are not conclusive because the studies of estrogen use and coronary artery disease were not randomized trials. Indeed, women who take estrogen tend to have healthier life-styles, to eat less fat, and