Overweight women who suffer from bothersome hot flushes during menopause may find some relief by losing weight.
Overweight women who suffer from bothersome hot flushes during menopause may find some relief by losing weight.
Hot flushes are likely related to hormonal changes - particularly the fall in estrogen levels - that happen during menopause. For all women in menopause the estrogen levels go down and stay down, but not all women suffer from hot flushes.
Past studies have found that high body mass index (BMI) is associated with worse hot flushes during menopause. To find out the association of losing weight and hot flushes during menopause researchers studied 338 overweight and obese American women who also had urinary incontinence. All the participants were divided into two groups. First group (two-third of the participants) was given an intensive weight loss programme in which they were encouraged to exercise more and eat less and the second group was given the structured health education programme, in which they were educated about weight loss strategies. Data regarding hot flushes, body weight, calorie intake, waistlines and physical activity and blood pressure was collected at the beginning of the study and after 6 months. About half of the women in both groups started the study complaining of hot flushes.
It was found that heavier women get more severe and more frequent hot flushes. Women who participated in a program that encouraged them to exercise more and eat less improved their hot flushes more that a group with little weight-loss coaching. Women in the weight-loss program dropped an average of more than 16 pounds and cut more than 2 inches off their waistlines over the six months, compared to about 4 pounds and 1 inch in the other group. And women who shed more pounds and waistline inches reported improvement in their hot flush symptoms.
Almost half of women who got intensive weight-loss coaching saw improvements in their hot flushes, whereas 12 percent said their hot flushes got worse. In women without the intervention, 40 percent got better and a quarter reported worse symptoms.
The researchers measured symptoms as "slightly," "moderately," "quite a bit," and "extremely" bothersome, and most women who reported better or worse symptoms moved over one category over the 6 months.
The researchers concluded that overweight and obese women who had bothersome hot flushes could find relief by an intensive weight loss programme.
Hot flushes are likely related to hormonal changes - particularly the fall in estrogen levels - that happen during menopause. For all women in menopause the estrogen levels go down and stay down, but not all women suffer from hot flushes.
Past studies have found that high body mass index (BMI) is associated with worse hot flushes during menopause. To find out the association of losing weight and hot flushes during menopause researchers studied 338 overweight and obese American women who also had urinary incontinence. All the participants were divided into two groups. First group (two-third of the participants) was given an intensive weight loss programme in which they were encouraged to exercise more and eat less and the second group was given the structured health education programme, in which they were educated about weight loss strategies. Data regarding hot flushes, body weight, calorie intake, waistlines and physical activity and blood pressure was collected at the beginning of the study and after 6 months. About half of the women in both groups started the study complaining of hot flushes.
It was found that heavier women get more severe and more frequent hot flushes. Women who participated in a program that encouraged them to exercise more and eat less improved their hot flushes more that a group with little weight-loss coaching. Women in the weight-loss program dropped an average of more than 16 pounds and cut more than 2 inches off their waistlines over the six months, compared to about 4 pounds and 1 inch in the other group. And women who shed more pounds and waistline inches reported improvement in their hot flush symptoms.
Almost half of women who got intensive weight-loss coaching saw improvements in their hot flushes, whereas 12 percent said their hot flushes got worse. In women without the intervention, 40 percent got better and a quarter reported worse symptoms.
The researchers measured symptoms as "slightly," "moderately," "quite a bit," and "extremely" bothersome, and most women who reported better or worse symptoms moved over one category over the 6 months.
The researchers concluded that overweight and obese women who had bothersome hot flushes could find relief by an intensive weight loss programme.
COMMENT
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
