Women With Sarcopenia Are Less Likely to Experience Hot Flashes
Do you have hot flashes? Watch your muscle mass
The sarcopenia goes with age. It is a condition characterized by the loss of mass, strength and function of the muscles in older adults. Signs and symptoms include weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, balance problems, and difficulty walking and standing.
Specifically, older women with sarcopenia are at increased risk of mobility, decreased quality of life, heart disease, and fall-related injuries.
However, according to a new study, they are less likely to experience hot flashes. Results of the study are published online in Menopause , the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Loss of muscle mass and function with age
Loss of muscle mass and function can be the most dramatic and significant change that occurs during the aging process. Postmenopausal women are the most at risk, compared to men. One of the reasons, the changes in sex hormones after menopause.
Other risk factors for sarcopenia that often develop with age include a sedentary lifestyle , reduced protein intake, changes in growth hormone levels, and increased inflammation.
Sarcopenia and various symptoms of menopause are somewhat unknown. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) are one of the most common and troublesome menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes are associated with several chronic disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, the association explains in a press release.
With regard to obesity , previous studies of hot flashes have focused on the relationship between body mass index and waist circumference. However, these measurements are limited because they do not reflect body composition, such as the percentage of adipose tissue versus muscle tissue.
Women with sarcopenia
In this new study, involving nearly 300 Korean women ages 40 to 65 , researchers specifically investigated the association between menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, and abdominal CT scan body composition indices and prevalence of sarcopenia
Based on the results of this one-of-a-kind study, the researchers concluded that hot flashes are less common in women with sarcopenia than in those without sarcopenia and are positively associated with paraspinal muscle mass.
Relationship between hot flashes, muscle, and sarcopenia
However, the researchers note that additional longitudinal studies should be considered to better define the relationships between hot flashes, skeletal muscle indices, fat-muscle distribution, and sarcopenia, as well as the potential underlying mechanisms.
“The results are particularly important given the aging of the population and the links between sarcopenia in older women and decreased mobility, increased risk of falls, and reduced health and quality of life, ” concludes the NAMS Medical Director, Stephanie Faubion.