Do you believe hormone imbalances are to blame?

Our appetite is regulated by hormones. So, yes, hormones are out of whack for many obese people.

BUT

the hormones of appetite control are NOT the hormones of reproduction. Saying 'hormones" as if hormones are hormones is like saying "vitamins" as if vitamin D was the same as vitamin B12. It depends on whta hormones we're talking about.

So Hormone Replacement Therapy might impact appetite and satiety but it might not. If it does, it's got to be an indirect effect because those aren't the hormones that directly control appetite.

Also, some recent studies cast some doubt on the theory that people naturally lose muscles and gain fat with age because of something in the aging process. Because, if you exercise like you did when you were younger, you have the muscles of a younger person. (In one study, a 64 year old triathlete had the same thigh muscles as a 34  year old triathlete.)

It seems muscles only waste away in the elderly if they aren't used. So maybe hormone have nothing to do with it after all.

At this point, we just don't know.

I'm not sure I understand this -

What does it mean to have "younger muscles"?   In this case of a 64 yo having "34 yo muscles", I guess, how do 34yo muscles differ from the 64yo?

Is there more to read about this?

I didn't say "younger muscles". I said, the muscles look the same. IOW, we used to think that older people have to have less muscles, but it turns out they don't.

There was a recent study about this with some cool pictures of the MRIs. I'll try to find it.

Cool, thanks!