TABLE 1.
Demographic characteristics, estrogen concentrations, and change in liver fat among postmenopausal subjects1
| Placebo group(n = 11) | Estrogen-treated group(n = 11) | |
| Age (y) | 64 ± 22 | 59 ± 2 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.9 ± 1.3 | 27.8 ± 0.4 |
| Race [n (%)] | ||
| White | 9 (82) | 5 (45.5) |
| African American | 1 (9) | 5 (45.5) |
| Hispanic | 1 (9) | 1 (9) |
| Plasma estrogen (pg/mL) | ||
| Start of study | <20 | <20 |
| End of study | <20 | 69 ± 213 |
| Change in liver fat (%) | ||
| End of depletion | 32 ± 10 | 8 ± 73 |
| End of study | 2.8 ± 0.8 | −5.3 ± 4 |
Subjects were enrolled into the study and randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or estrogen-replacement therapy (0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen/d; Premarin; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA) from day 1 until the last day of participation. Demographic information at study entry is presented for both groups. Estrogen was measured from a blood sample collected on study entry and on the last day of study participation. Liver fat (measured at the end of the depletion phase and at the end of the study) was measured as the change in ratio of liver to spleen fat determined by magnetic resonance imaging as described in Subjects and Methods. Continuous and categorical variables were compared between the estrogen and placebo groups by using a t test and Fisher's exact test, respectively.
Mean ± SEM (all such values).
Significantly different from the placebo group, P < 0.05.