Table 5.
Baseline Characteristics, Selected CVD Risk Factors, and Hormone Levels by Estrogen Category.
| N (%) | Normal E1 & BioE2 179 (52) | High E1 only 50 (15) | High BioE2 only 47 (14) | High E1 & BioE2 67 (20) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Mean | Mean | Mean | Mean | p-value |
| Age (yrs) | 69.3 | 71.8 | 65.2a,b | 68.9 | .002 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.4 | 24.0 | 24.5 | 26.6a,b,c | <.001 |
| Waist girth (cm) | 76.1 | 78.0 | 79.3 | 83.8a,b,c | <.001 |
| Waist to hip ratio | .786 | .783 | .801 | .813a,b | .013 |
| Beck Depression Score | 5.8 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 6.5 | .37 |
| Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent | ||
| College Graduate | 29.2 | 28.0 | 19.1 | 20.9 | .38 |
| 3+ Alcohol drinks/wk | 46.9 | 44.0 | 59.6 | 43.3 | .32 |
| Ever Smoker | 52.0 | 46.0 | 59.6 | 44.8 | .40 |
| Current Smoker | 11.2 | 16.0 | 19.1 | 7.5 | .23 |
| Exercise, 3+ times/wk | 83.2 | 76.0 | 80.9 | 82.1 | .71 |
| Prior Estrogen Use | 60.9 | 62.0 | 55.3 | 58.2 | .88 |
| Metabolic syndrome | 13.5 | 8.0 | 12.8 | 32.8a,b,c | .001 |
| CVD risk factors | Mean | Mean | Mean | Mean | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 136.1 | 140.0 | 132.6 | 140.0 | .18 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 75.1 | 75.3 | 75.6 | 77.0 | .53 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 230.9 | 226.6 | 248.0a,b | 237.3 | .03 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 142.4 | 136.9 | 157.5b | 149.2 | .03 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 68.2 | 71.0 | 68.0 | 61.7a,b | .011 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 89.1 | 85.1 | 97.7 | 120.2a,b | <.001 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mg/dl) | 100.1 | 96.8 | 99.2 | 117.0 | .11 |
| Steroid hormones | Mean | Mean | Mean | Mean | |
| Estrone (pmol/Ll) | 41.4 | 91.8 | 49.2 | 108.0a,c | <.001 |
| Estradiol (pmol/L) | 13.9 | 20.2 | 25.3 | 36.0a,b,c | <.001 |
| Bioavailable estradiol (pmol/L) | 6.6 | 7.7 | 17.3 | 22.0a,b,c | <.001 |
E1=estrone, BioE2=bioavailable estradiol
Values for estrogens are geometric means
a
p<.01 vs normal,
b
p<.01 vs high E1 only,
c
p<.01 vs high BioE2 only by LSD post-hoc tests