A recent study suggests that middle-aged women, particularly those who transition to menopause, are likely to lower the risk of developing a stroke. Other disease includes the likes of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes. The research, however, insists that this is only possible if they commit to exercising and/or eating a low-calorie diet.
According to Hindustan Times, the study further claims that women who are physically active are unlikely to get incidents that refer to metabolic syndrome. When compared to inactive women, their chances are pretty low.
By essence, metabolic syndrome defines a cluster of different risk factors, all of which are capable of increasing the chances of a person to develop or acquire the aforementioned health issues. Other factors that concern genetic, lack of exercise, and even excess body fat can add to the development of this syndrome and result in a serious health concern.
The study consists of various patients. But for those who have metabolic syndrome, they are diagnosed particularly when they present three or more of the said risk factors. Some were found to have a large amount of abdominal body fat while others have low "good" cholesterol. Other discoveries that the researchers found out suggest high blood pressure, high levels of fat in the blood, and high blood glucose.
Jennifer S. Lee, Associate Professor at the Stanford Health Care in the US, said that their previous research mostly focused on diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. These, however, concern women who are postmenopausal.
Lee claims that the study they conducted is unique in its way, especially since they designed it to focus largely on the earlier stages of a woman's life. Also, the research touched based on women who are said to have a menopausal transition in midlife. The researchers aim to find a solution to prevent all of these diseases from occurring in the first place, News18 reports.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. In there, the researchers perform an examination that covered about 3,003 midlife women, all of whom are undergoing the transition stage to menopause. The researchers were successful in finding a pattern that somehow relates to cardiometabolic risk. At the same time, they discovered that the culprit the existence of metabolic syndrome is none other than central obesity.
Lee clarified that by determining which modifiable factors (e.g., physical activity, low-calorie diet, etc.) are common among midlife women, they could come up with a better preventive strategy. Since the study is still in its early stages, the researchers expect to find more substantial evidence later on.
