Does Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Slow Aging?

In her bestselling book Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones, actress Suzanne Somers promotes the use of bioidentical hormone therapy or BHRT as an antiaging therapy that can safely keep women feeling and looking younger for much longer than previously thought possible. Somers specifically addresses changes that occur in women’s bodies at menopause, and makes the case that the most negative of these changes are not necessary.

What are bioidentical hormones and why is everyone talking about them? According to Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School, bioidentical hormones are medications that contain (among other substances) hormones that are an exact match to those made by the human body.

Unlike standardized medications, each bioidentical hormone mixture is specially compounded to match the hormone levels and hormone characteristics of any given individual, as determined by running tests on that individual’s saliva. Because bioidentical hormones cannot be standardized (by definition each mixture is unique), bioidentical hormones are not FDA approved.

That doesn’t mean bioidentical hormone therapy is dangerous or even ineffective, but some the claims regarding its use as an antiaging therapy have been questioned by scientists.

In 2005 by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the North American Menopause Society reviewed the scientific evidence for bioidentical hormone therapy and concluded that nothing currently shows the popular antiaging therapy for menopausal women is any safer or more effective than traditional HRT.

HRT (ordinary hormone replacement therapy prescribed by a doctor) is currently being used less and less often due to the increased risk of cancer that accompanies the benefits. The Endocrine Society has confirmed this mainstream medical opinion.

The seeming rejection of BHRT clinics by the medical establishment in the face of popular support from celebrities like Oprah and Somers has created an entire BHRT literature of medical conspiracy theory and collusion, along with charges that Big Pharma is concealing the true value of BHRT for financial reasons.

Other claims that assert that BHRT antiaging therapy is more ‘natural’ or even ‘plant-based’ muddy the waters further. The truth is that all hormone supplements are made from natural substances, whether they are custom compounded or not. BHRT clinics, which are popping up all over and have the look and feel of a spa or cosmetic service more than a physician’s office, are likely to stress the ‘naturalness’ of the antiaging therapy without disclosing that all hormones are natural substances.

HRT and BHRT both can help women through menopause and make them feel better and younger into their late fifties. However, most physicians recommend discontinuing hormone therapy once menopause is complete, because at that point the health risks far outweigh the benefits. Most doctors agree that hormones are powerful substances that should not be used lightly or taken for cosmetic purposes.

The main difference between HRT and BHRT is that a woman opting for HRT receives lots of warnings from her physician about the dangers and potential negative effects, whereas a woman opting for bioindentical hormone therapy at a BHRT designer compounding clinic may not be given this information and may mistakenly believe the risks are minimal.

The best antiaging therapy continues to be a combination of healthy diet, lots of exercise, and stress management. That’s not a very glamorous strategy, but it will always be an affordable, effective one.

Related links:

An Anti-aging Product Review of the Best Antioxidant Foods

Should Anyone Take an Antiaging Hormone?