Sex hormone regulates hunger in women
A lack of oestrogen in the body may cause people to become obese and develop diseases related to being severely overweight, such as heart disease.That is according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Centre, which revealed that the sex hormone helps to regulates hunger and energy expenditure.
Dr Deborah Clegg, associate professor of internal medicine, said: "Oestrogen has a profound effect on metabolism ... we hadn't previously thought of sex hormones as being critical regulators of food intake and body weight."
She suggested that the findings of the study could be helpful for postmenopausal women who are unwilling to take conventional hormone replacement therapy.
Researchers from Unicamp Medical School in Campinas have suggested that exercising during pregnancy is safe, although it does not prevent expectant mothers from gaining too much weight.
Despite these findings, researchers involved in the study recommended that pregnant women should aim to take 30 minutes of moderate exercise on a daily basis.
