Menopause News:

Link Strengthened Between Obesity and Health Risks for Postmenopausal Women

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have strengthened the link between obesity and other health risks in women who have gone through menopause.

"The risk of osteoporosis in the postmenopausal woman is well characterized," said Ellen Evans, professor of kinesiology and author of the study. But just as much of a problem are the health risks, such as diabetes and heart disease, associated with obesity in menopausal women, she added.

"Seventy percent of women age 45 to 54 are overweight or obese," said Evans. "Before age 50, the majority of women tend to slowly increase their weight, whereas after menopause there appears to be an accelerated increase in fat mass and a change in preferential fat storage to a central -- that is, abdominal -- location." Evans and her colleagues speculated that the change in fat storage was due to menopause.

"If decreases in sex steroid concentrations influence body composition, the metabolic impact may explain why a woman's risk for diabetes and heart disease increases after menopause," said Evans.

Evans and her research team found that postmenopausal women with higher levels of trunk fat were possibly at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Leg fat appeared to give a protective benefit against such disorders.

Their researchers are now studying postmenopausal women and the potential use of exercise as an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy for disease prevention.

Source: Medical Week staff, week of May 5, 2002