Hot flashes may be fewer in older, heavier
women...Study finds that obesity's impact on
incidence of hot flashes may depend on age
September 1, 2011--A
recent study accepted for publication in The
Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found
that among women aged 60 and above, heavier
women have fewer hot flashes than their
leaner counterparts. The inverse association
between body size and hot flashes was
observed only among the older women.
In the last decade, research on
perimenopausal women has shown that heavier
women tend to have more hot flashes. As a
result of this research, clinicians began to
observe obesity as a risk factor for hot
flashes. However, according to this new
study, after a woman reaches an age where
she becomes menopausal and her ovary no
longer produces estrogen, it appears that
the heavier the woman is, the fewer hot
flashes she experiences.
"This study provides a more nuanced
understanding of the relationship between
body size and hot flashes, emphasizing the
important role of age," said the study's
lead author, Rebecca Thurston, PhD of the
University of Pittsburgh. "Our findings show
that the benefit of higher fat levels for
hot flashes is not apparent until a woman is
about 60 years old."
In this study, researchers examined 52 women
who had reported hot flashes and were not on
medication impacting hot flashes.
Study
participants had their body fat percentage,
waist circumference and BMI measured and
were physiologically assessed for hot
flashes by use of a monitor that measured
skin conductance. Participants also
self-reported hot flashes by using a
portable electronic diary.
"Our study showed that higher adiposity, BMI
and waist circumference were associated with
fewer physiologically-assessed hot flashes
among older postmenopausal women with hot
flashes," said Thurston.
"Moreover, associations were most pronounced
among Caucasian women. This study
underscores the importance of considering
how age and race may modify the relationship
between obesity and hot flashes."
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Also working on the study was Nanette
Santoro of the University of Colorado and
Karen Matthews of the University of
Pittsburgh.
The article, "Adiposity and hot flashes in
midlife woman: A modifying role of age,"
appears in the October 2011 issue of JCEM.
