Vasomotor symptoms and cardiometabolic risk factors in menopausal women: a MONET Group study

Conflicting results have been reported concerning the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors in women experiencing vasomotor symptoms (VMS).

To compare cardiometabolic risk factors between women with and without VMS during the menopause transition and to determine the influence of physical activity on the prevalence of VMS.

Yearly assessment of women transitioning through menopause included self-reported VMS (hot flushes and night sweats), body composition and fat distribution, fasting glucose, insulin and lipids, and physical activity levels.

Eighty-five of the 102 premenopausal women at baseline were included (age: 49.9 ± 2.0 years; body mass index: 23.2 ± 2.2 kg/m(2)). According to linear mixed model analyses, no statistically significant differences were observed for fat mass, lean body mass, body fat distribution indices and cardiometabolic risk factors, when comparing symptomatic vs. asymptomatic women. Neither physical activity levels nor intensity were associated with the prevalence of VMS.

Our results suggest that women transitioning through menopause who reported VMS did not show greater deteriorations in body composition, body fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors. Furthermore, physical activity levels were not associated with lower prevalence of vasomotor symptoms in the present cohort.