CORTISOL METABOLISM AND CENTRAL ADIPOSITY AFTER MENOPAUSE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. There is evidence that abdominal fat is associated with increased risk for coronary artery disease (a common type of heart disease) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (also known as 'adult onset diabetes'). After menopause women tend to gain fat in the abdominal region. Previous studies show that women with larger amounts of fat make more of a stress hormone called cortisol. There is evidence that when abdominal fat cells are taken out of the body (tissue biopsy samples), they have an enzyme that can convert cortisone (the inactive form of the hormone) to cortisol (the active form of the hormone). The first goal of our study is to measure the ability of abdominal fat cells to convert cortisone to cortisol while the fat tissue is in your body. The second goal of our study is to compare how obese and normal weight postmenopausal women metabolize cortisol. We want to find out the ability of your whole body as well as your abdominal fat to convert cortisone to cortisol.