From Jennifer Moore
The years of transition to menopause appear to raise a woman’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests.
Imke Janssen, Ph.D. of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and her team followed 949 women for nine years. Women who were eligible as study subjects reached menopause during the nine years, never took hormone replacement therapy, and didn’t have metabolic syndrome or diabetes when the study began.
However, 13.7% of the study subjects had metabolic syndrome by the time they had their last periods, with its incidence growing more during the years before menopause than the years after it, according to Rush University’s press release on this research.
The research team notes that as testosterone activity in women’s bodies increases during the transition to menopause, so does the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Interesting.
Unfortunately, menopause is, of course, inevitable. So what can women do to lessen their chances of developing metabolic syndrome during this time in their lives?
Eat well, get regular exercise and avoid smoking, Janssen said, according to Amy Norton of Reuters, who tipped me to this story.
Great advice for anyone during any time of life, really!