Why Do Some Aged Women Experience Fewer Hot Flashes?

Older women with sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass and function) are less likely to experience hot flashes, according to a new study published in the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS),Menopause.

The loss of muscle mass and function are the most dramatic and significant change that occurs during the aging process.

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‘Greater muscle mass may increase the risk of hot flashes in postmenopausal women.’

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Postmenopausal women are at a particularly increased risk of sarcopenia as a result of aging and sex hormone changes after menopause.

Other risk factors for sarcopenia are sedentary lifestyle, reduced protein intake, changes in growth hormone levels, and increased inflammation.

However, the association between sarcopenia and various menopause symptoms is poorly known till now. Hot flashes are one of the most common and troublesome menopause symptoms that causes red, flushed face and sweating.

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The frequency of the hot flash can be from 1 to 2 two hot flashes a week to 10 or greater in a day. The silver lining is that it usually decreases over time.

Hot flashes are also associated with several chronic disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Concerning obesity, previous hot flash studies have focused on the relationship between body mass index and waist circumference.

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However, these measures are limited because they do not reflect the exact body composition, such as the percentage of adipose tissue versus muscle tissue.

In this new study involving nearly 300 Korean women aged 40 to 65 years, researchers specifically investigated the association between menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, and body composition indices measured by abdominal computed tomography and the prevalence of sarcopenia.

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Based on the results of this first-of-its-kind study, researchers concluded that hot flashes are less common in women with sarcopenia than in those without and are positively associated with paraspinal muscle mass.

This issue is given importance because older women with sarcopenia are at an increased risk of reduced mobility, diminished quality of life, heart disease, and fall-related injuries.

Further longitudinal studies should be considered to further define the relationships between hot flashes, skeletal muscle indices, fat and muscle distribution, and sarcopenia, as well as the potential underlying mechanisms.

Source-Medindia