Weight loss related to fewer hot flashes in menopausal women: study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJul 13 2010

Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

Hot flashes are an uncomfortable and distressing part of menopause that many women go through. Hot flashes also known as hot flushes are usually sudden sweatiness and redness in the face that can remain for four or five years into menopause. Now researchers have shown that losing weight may help reduce these symptoms.

This study appeared in the 12^th July issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Earlier studies have shown that women with lower Body Mass Index (calculated with both body weight and height, BMI) suffered from less severe attacks than those who had high BMI or in other words were overweight or obese. There was however no studies before this that showed that lowering weight could reduce severity of the attacks.

According to lead researcher Alison J. Huang of the University of California at San Francisco in their study of 338 overweight or obese women the results were remarkable. Two thirds of these women were offered an intense, behavior-oriented weight loss program and the rest a health education program. Those in the weight loss group had a goal to lose 7% to 9% of their body weight in 6 months. They exercised for 200 minutes per week and followed a 1,200 to 1,500 daily calorie diet. The other group attended four one-hour sessions that addressed nutrition and healthy living.

At the start of the study 154 women reported that they were bothered by hot flashes with detailed diary records of the attacks for the past six months provided by 141. Sixty-five of the 141 women said they were less bothered by their hot flashes six months after participating in the weight loss program, 53 reported no change, and 23 women reported a worsening of symptoms. The women in the other group did not report similar benefits.

The paper says, “Among women who were at least slightly bothered by flushing at baseline, the intensive lifestyle intervention was associated with significantly greater decreases in weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure relative to the control group…No statistically significant effect of the intervention on self-reported physical activity, total calorie intake or overall physical or mental functioning was observed. Our findings indicate that women who are overweight or obese and experience bothersome hot flushes may also experience improvement in these symptoms after pursuing behavioral weight loss strategies; however, improvements in weight or body composition may not be the only mediators of this effect.”

However these women were actually participating in a urinary incontinence study and the results may not apply to all women. Also, a greater percentage of women in the control group dropped out of the study, which could have skewed the results. More studies are needed to explore the benefits.