How Menopause Affects Lipid Metabolism in the Visceral Fat Depots

How Menopause Affects Lipid Metabolism in the Visceral Fat Depots

The purpose of the study is to describe the molecular mechanisms related to an increased visceral fat mass and changed T-cell homeostasis. the project is expected to add new knowledge to the field of metabolic diseases after menopause and increase the focus of how lipid affects the development of metabolic disease in relation to the menopausal transition.

The study is a cross sectional study including 60 women between 45 and 55 years of age. Investigators aim to include 20 premenopausal women, 20 postmenopausal women and 20 postmenopausal women taking hormone treatment (HT). All the women are going through gynecological surgery for benign reasons. During the operation investigators will take a visceral fat biopsy from the omentum.

maximally 1 month before- or after the operation the subject will meet at the lab for further testing, including:

• Health examination
• Blood samples
• OGTT
• DXA scan
• VO2 max testing
• MRI of the abdomen
• hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp

Inclusion Criteria:

• women
• 45-55 years old
• for HT treated women (HT more than 1 year)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infections during the last month
• chronic disease
• claustrophobia
• smoking
• Alcoholic intake > 14 servings
• hysterectomy before menopause
• oophorectomized
• early menopause (before 40 yrs)
• BMI > 30