A new study has found that overweight postmenopausal women
who lose weight can reduce hot flashes. Thus, reduction of troublesome hot
flashes could serve as a motivation to enter into a weight loss program. The
findings were published online on June 23 in the journal Menopause.
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| How to Lose Weight After Menopause |
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According to the American Congress of Obstetrics and
Gynecology (ACOG), the most common symptom of the menopause is hot flashes.
Approximately 75% of menopausal women in the United States experience them.
Most women who have them are well aware of the symptoms: a sudden sensation of
heat that rushes into the upper body and face. The skin may redden like a blush
and a woman may break out in a sweat. A hot flash may last from a few seconds
to several minutes or longer. Hot flashes can cause lack of sleep by frequently
waking a woman from a deep sleep. Lack of sleep may be noted by a woman as the
most troublesome of the menopause.
The study authors note that being overweight has been
considered to be protective against hot flashes, newer data suggest a positive
relationships between hot flashes and overweight. They explain that, to date,
no studies have been specifically designed to evaluate whether weight loss
reduces hot flashes. Therefore, they conducted a study with the foal of
evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effectiveness of weight
loss for reducing hot flashes.
The study group comprised 40 overweight or obese women who
suffered from hot flashes (four or more hot flashes per day). The women were
randomized to either a behavioral weight loss intervention group or wait-list
control group. Hot flashes were evaluated before and after intervention with
physiologic monitoring, diary, and questionnaire. Changes in hot flowers were
evaluated via statistical analysis.
The investigators found that 83% of the women completed the
study and 94% reported a high degree of satisfaction with the intervention. The
majority of the women (74%) reported that hot flash reduction was a major
motivator for losing weight. Women randomized to the weight loss intervention
group lost more weight (8.86 kilograms or 19.4 pounds weight loss) than did
women in the control group (0.23 kilogram or 0.5 pound weight increase). Women
in the weight loss intervention group also reported greater decreases in
questionnaire-reported hot flashes (two week hot flashes were –63.0), compared
to women in the control group (two week hot flashes were -28.0; P = 0.03)
Reductions in weight and hot flashes significantly correlated.
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| Weight Loss Helps to Reduce Hot Flashes |
The authors concluded that a behavioral weight loss program
is practicable, acceptable, and effective in producing weight loss among
overweight or obese women with hot flashes. They recommend that a larger study
should be conducted to further confirm their findings. They noted that hot
flash management could motivate women to engage in this health-promoting
behavior.
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