Study Finds Link between Menopause and Rising Cholesterol Levels
by Jennifer Bunn, RNThe symptoms of menopause can be overwhelming for some, including hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual irregularities, fatigue, sleep disturbances and mood swings. These symptoms herald major changes occurring in the body, mainly a decrease in the hormones that regulate menstruation. As if these symptoms weren’t enough to contend with, new research reveals that menopause can signal an end to healthy cholesterol levels for some women.
A study of 1,054 women revealed that, as women entered menopause, total cholesterol levels and levels of LDL cholesterol rose dramatically. This rise in cholesterol levels began one year prior to menopause and continued for one year after the study participants’ last menstrual periods. Risk factors and ethnicity of the participants had no bearing on this rise.
The take-home message of this study is that women going through menopause need to be mindful that the decrease in estrogen levels brought about by menopause can have a broader impact on their health than the annoying, and sometimes unbearable, symptoms mentioned above. Menopause should signal the need to examine personal risk factors for heart disease and stroke, as these risk factors can be somewhat modified through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.
Source: J Am College Cardiol. 2009;54:2366-2373 and 2374-2375.
