Abdominal obesity may lead to more severe menopause symptoms – study

Abdominal obesity may lead to worse menopause symptoms, including forgetfulness, irritability and night sweats, a new study suggests.

The findings point to a possible link between fat stored around the waist and more severe midlife symptoms.

Researchers said waist-to-height ratio could help identify women who may benefit from more targeted support.

Dr Monica Christmas is associate medical director for The Menopause Society.

Christmas said: “Unintended weight gain during the menopause transition, especially in the midsection, is one of the most commonly reported complaints, with the most significant gains experienced in the years leading up to the final menstrual period and a couple of years after.

“This not only affects self-image but also imposes negative health risks and, as the study highlights, is associated with higher prevalence and severity of menopause symptoms.”

The study used data from more than 1,100 women who took part in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

Abdominal obesity is a build-up of fat around the waist. It often includes visceral fat, which is deep, active fat surrounding internal organs.

This type of fat releases inflammatory proteins and toxic fatty acids that can contribute to insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and a higher risk of some cancers.

Insulin resistance means the body does not respond properly to insulin, the hormone that helps control blood sugar.

The Menopause Society said abdominal obesity is estimated to affect more than 60 per cent of menopausal women.

As oestrogen levels fall during menopause, women tend to store more fat around the waist rather than the hips, even if their overall weight does not change.

The researchers noted that obesity patterns and menopause symptom burden can vary by region, but research into the effect of abdominal obesity on these symptoms remains limited.

They also said earlier studies have mainly looked at single symptoms, rather than how symptoms connect with each other.

In this study, researchers used network analysis, a method that looks at how symptoms are linked, to compare symptom patterns in women with and without abdominal obesity.

They identified abdominal obesity using waist-to-height ratios, which compare waist size with height and can be used as a simple measure of health risk linked to body fat around the middle.

The researchers concluded that women with abdominal obesity had both a higher prevalence and greater severity of a range of symptoms, as well as a distinct symptom network structure.

In particular, women with abdominal obesity reported a higher prevalence and greater severity of dizziness, hot flashes and night sweats than women without abdominal obesity.

Sleep disturbances and palpitations were also reported more often in women with abdominal obesity. Palpitations are feelings of a fast, fluttering or pounding heartbeat.

The researchers said assessment of abdominal obesity using waist-to-height ratios may help stratify women who are likely to benefit from targeted, network-based interventions rather than isolated symptom management.

Christmas said: “Educating women early about healthy lifestyle interventions to prevent midlife weight gain is key to improving mental and physical well-being during a tumultuous time frame.”