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A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society'sJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found thatpostmenopausal women who smoke have higher androgen and estrogenlevels than non-smoking women, with sex hormone levels beinghighest in heavy smokers. Previous studies have shown that high levels of estrogens andandrogens are potential risk factors for breast and endometrial cancer as well as type 2 diabetes . Cigarette smoking is a well established risk factor for chronicdiseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, butearlier studies examining the relationship between smoking and sexhormone levels have yielded inconsistent results. This newcross-sectional study in a population-based sample ofpostmenopausal women suggests that sex hormones may provide oneplausible mechanism through which cigarette smoking influenceschronic disease risk. "The observed increase in sex hormone levels with cigarette usesuggests that tobacco smoke, apart from its direct toxic andcarcinogenic effects, may also influence chronic disease riskthrough hormonal mechanisms," said Judith Brand, MSc, of UniversityMedical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands and lead author of thestudy. "The good news is that the effect of cigarette smokingappears reversible, as an almost immediate reduction in sex hormonelevels was seen in women who quit using cigarettes." In this study, researchers examined blood samples from 2,030postmenopausal women aged 55-81 years. Study participants werecategorized as 'current', 'former' or 'never' smokers based ontheir responses to questions regarding cigarette use. Researchersfound that study participants who were 'current' smokers had highercirculating levels of androgens and estrogens, while 'former'smokers who had quit within 1-2 years had sex hormone levels thesame as 'never' smokers. "Obviously, quitting smoking has major health benefits such asprevention of cancer, respiratory and heart diseases," said Brand."Our research suggests that smoking cessation may have additionaleffects by modifying hormone-related disease risks, but this wasnot the subject of the present study and requires furtherinvestigation." Other researchers working on the study include Mei-Fen Chan, RobertLuben and Kay-Tee Khaw of the University of Cambridge (UK); MitchDowsett and Elizabeth Folkerd of Royal Marsden Hospital in London,UK; Nicholas Wareham of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge,UK; and Yvonne van der Schouw of University Medical Center Utrechtin The Netherlands. The article, "Cigarette smoking and endogenous sex hormones inpostmenopausal women," appears in the October 2011 issue of JCEM. Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Pain Relief Patches , Waterproof Adhesive Tape Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Medical Adhesive Tape today!
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