The effect of postmenopausal estrogen therapy on the risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the effect of postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy on the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes in women.

Methods: Postmenopausal women aged 50 through 70 years (n=848) without diagnosed diabetes at baseline were followed for 10 to 15 years for incident diabestes.

Results: Over the average 11.5 year follow-ip, there were 105 new cases of diabetes. The age-adjusted relative-risk for development of diabetes was nonsignificantly lower for women with continuous estrogen replacement therapy use than for never users. After adjustment for major covariates, a nonsignificant linear trend with increasing duration of estrogen replacement therapy was reversed.

Conclusions: This study suggests that previous results showing a reduced risk of diabetes in women using estrogen may have been due to selection bias regarding who is prescribed estrogen, confounding factors, or differential diagnostic efforts.