HRT can reduce risk of heart problems, claim researchers

Researchers from Denmark also say taking HRT is not associated with an increased risk of cancer or strokes in work which reignites controversy about the safety of the treatment.

HRT is used by millions of women worldwide to relieve symptoms of the menopause.

Before 2002, its effects were considered beneficial until new research cast doubt on the cardiovascular improvements, while another influential study warned that taking the drugs, particularly for long periods, led to a significantly increased risk of breast cancer.

In contrast, the research published today lends support to the use of the drugs, backing up claims earlier this year which criticised the findings of the Million Women Study which linked HRT to breast cancer.

The research points to early use of HRT after the menopause to reduce risks of heart disease and stroke.

But last night the findings had already attracted criticism amid claims as many as 1,500 breast cancers in the UK are caused by HRT each year.

In the research, doctors in Denmark examined 1,000 women who joined the study when they were aged between 45 and 58.

Half of the group were given HRT which was started early after the menopause and the control group received no treatment.

The study, published on bmj.com, found that after 10 years, 33 women in the control group had died or suffered heart failure or a heart attack compared with just 16 women who were given HRT.

They also found that 36 women in the HRT group were treated for cancer compared with 39 in the control group – 10 women in the HRT group were treated for breast cancer compared with 17 in the control group.

Eleven women in the HRT group were treated for stroke compared with 14 in the control group.

The health benefits noted by the researchers occurred 10 years after the women started taking HRT and continued for six years afterwards, they said.

They found that women treated with long-term HRT early after menopause “had significantly reduced risk” of death, heart failure, or heart attack “without any apparent increase” in cancer, blood clots or strokes.

“Importantly, early initiation and prolonged hormone replacement therapy did not result in an increased risk of breast cancer or stroke,” they added.

Claire Knight, health information manager at the charity Cancer Research UK, said: “This is a small study that wasn’t specifically designed to look at whether 
using HRT was linked to cancer risk.

“Instead it was intended to look at the risk of heart attacks and other heart failures in connection with HRT.

“This, along with other concerns about how the study was conducted, means we cannot be confident about what it says on the subject of breast cancer risk and HRT.

“A recent comprehensive review funded by Cancer Research UK estimated that just over three per cent (around 1,500 cases) of breast cancers in women a year in the UK are linked to using HRT.

“Women should still consult their GP about whether to take HRT, and discuss the benefits and harms with their doctor to decide what’s right for them.”