A simple hormone treatment may help older adults keep dangerous fat away and also support recovery after serious injuries.
TheDigger Intelligence Unit
The Hidden Risk of Ageing Fat
As we age, our bodies don’t just add fat; they move it around in ways that can be risky. Over time, more fat collects in the abdomen as visceral fat, which surrounds organs and raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems.
In contrast, subcutaneous fat sits under the skin and helps with healthy metabolism, but visceral fat is much more dangerous.
Scientists have long known that hormones affect how fat is distributed in the body, but new research is showing how testosterone, in particular, influences this process.
Hormones and the Fat Puzzle
“As men and women age, there’s an unhealthy redistribution of fat from the more innocuous regions into the visceral compartment,” explains Jacob Earp, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. “There is a direct link between sex hormones and fat distribution throughout the body.”
Most traditional weight-loss methods do not target visceral fat. They also tend to reduce muscle, which older adults need to stay mobile and recover well.
A Clinical Experiment in Recovery
Earp and his team wanted to see if a simple hormone treatment could help older women recover from hip fractures, which are serious injuries that often take away a woman’s independence and mobility. Their study, published in Obesity Pillars, followed 66 women who were 65 or older.
All the women joined a structured exercise program. Half of them also used a testosterone gel on their skin. After six months, scans showed a clear difference.
Both groups had similar overall fat levels, but the women who used the testosterone gel had less visceral fat.
The women who did not get the hormone treatment saw the usual increase in belly fat that often happens during recovery from hip fractures.
“This really bucked the trend,” Earp says. “Instead of the expected rise in visceral fat, we saw a selective reduction in that dangerous compartment.”
Why It Matters
Hip fractures often take away a woman’s independence. Preventing visceral fat could help them recover in a healthier way.
“These are devastating injuries that most women don’t ever recover from,” Earp notes. “Any intervention that can improve health outcomes could have a huge impact on quality of life.”
A Hopeful Route for Healthy Ageing
These findings suggest a new approach: using hormone therapy not to build muscle or boost performance, but to protect older adults from the hidden risks of fat moving to dangerous areas.
If future studies confirm these results, testosterone gel could become part of a larger set of tools to help people recover from serious injuries and improve long-term health as they age.
Getting older is unavoidable, but the health risks that come with it do not have to be. By learning more about how hormones affect fat in the body, scientists are finding new ways to help older adults stay healthy, recover faster, and keep their independence.
