The association between weight-promoting medication use and weight gain in postmenopausal women: findings from the Women's Health Initiative

• Published in: Menopause (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 27; no. 10; pp. 1117 - 1125
• Main Authors: Stanford, Fatima Cody, Cena, Hellas, Biino, Ginevra, Umoren, Olivia, Jimenez, Monik, Freeman, Marlene P., Shadyab, Aladdin H., Wild, Robert A., Womack, Catherine R., Banack, Hailey R., Manson, JoAnn E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-10-2020; by The North American Menopause Society
• Subjects: Aged; Body Mass Index; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Postmenopause; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Waist Circumference; Weight Gain; Women's Health
• ISSN: 1530-0374; 1072-3714; 1530-0374
• DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001589

OBJECTIVE:With the rise in obesity, there has been a concomitant increase in prescription medications associated with weight gain. The objective of this study is to quantify the magnitude of association between putative weight-promoting medications and 3-year weight change in a diverse cohort of postmenopausal women in the Womenʼs Health Initiative (WHI).
METHODS:This is a prospective observational cohort study, considering 40 sites in the WHI and a cohort of seventy six thousand two hundred fifty-two postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years, with weight measured at both baseline and 3 years, in the WHI-Observational Study. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured at baseline and 3 years. An in-clinic medication inventory identified prescribed medications, including antidepressants, beta-blockers, insulin, and/or glucocorticosteroids. Generalized linear models evaluated if intermittent or persistent use of weight-promoting drugs was associated with increased BMI and WC during a 3-year follow up.
RESULTS:Women with overweight or obesity at baseline were more likely to be taking antidepressants, beta-blockers, and/or insulin. Taking at least one putative weight-promoting medication was associated with a greater increase in BMI (0.37 vs 0.27 kg/m, P = 0.0045) and WC (1.10 cm vs 0.89 cm, P = 0.0077) over the course of 3 years compared to women not on these medications. Both BMI and WC increased with the number of weight-promoting drugs prescribed (P for trend per medication used < 0.00001 for both variables). Those who took either antidepressants or insulin, or a combination of antidepressants and beta-blockers, were most likely to have a significant increase in BMI compared to nonusers.
CONCLUSIONS:Antidepressants, beta-blockers, and insulin were associated with weight gain in postmenopausal women. This information may help to inform clinical decision-making and efforts to mitigate medication-related weight gain.
Video Summary:http://links.lww.com/MENO/A617.