Women with diabetes should not take hormone replacement therapy, a study suggests.
Researchers based in Denmark have discovered that diabetic women who take HRT up their risk of dying early. New research highlights that HRT pills can increase the chances of developing heart disease or indeed having a heart attack.
Hvidovre University Hospital researchers have studied 13,084 women aged 45 plus, less than 50% of whom were on HRT. Results showed that women with diabetes who were on HRT were up to three times more likely to die at an early age vis-a-vis those without diabetes.
This month's British Medical Journal highlights the research findings that women on HRT with diabetes are more likely to get diabetes . The researchers however were not able to explain such effects. They speculated that it may be due to hormones adversely affecting blood sugar levels.
The proviso is that women with diabetes still should not stop taking HRT. The researchers go on to confirm previous studies, rejecting claims that HRT is able to protect against heart disease .
Furthernore, the researchers said that hormone replacement therapy is not able to protect women against myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease or death. Today Diabetes.co.uk stated that further research is necessary to determine whether HRT is unsafe for women with diabetes.
Some HRT has a positive effect on diabetic women and some indicate negative effects. This study of course adds to the HRT debate yet further research is necessary.
