Late-onset menopause may reduce risk of heart disease: Study

Women who go through menopause later in life have healthier blood vessels which reduces their risk of heart disease finds a study on WednesdayWomen are less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than men for most of their lives but studies have shown that their risk spikes and overtakes male risk after menopauseThe study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research offers new insight into why females who stop menstruating at age 55 or later are significantly less likely to have heart attacks and strokes in their postmenopausal yearsThe findings by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US could help lead to new therapies including dietary interventions to reduce the risk of heart disease the number one killer of womenOur study identifies that theres actually a physiological benefit to lateronset menopause and is one of the first to identify the specific mechanisms driving these benefits said Sanna Darvish a PhD candidate in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the varsityThe team assessed the vascular health of 92 women in the US looking specifically at a measure called brachial artery flowmediated dilation FMD or how well their brachial artery the main blood vessel in the upper arm dilates with increased blood flowThe results showed that all the postmenopausal women had significantly worse arterial function than their premenopausal counterpartsThe researchers explained that when menopause hits the agerelated decline in vascular health acceleratesBut the 10 per cent or so of women who experience lateonset menopause appear to be somewhat protected from this effect said senior author Matthew RossmanIn particular the study found that vascular function was only 24 per cent worse in the lateonset menopause group On the other hand among women in the normalonset group 51 per cent had worse vascular healthNotably such differences between the groups persisted five years or more after the women went through menopause with the lateonset group still having 44 per cent better vascular function than the normal onset groupThis health benefit in the lateonset group was related to better functioning of mitochondria which produced fewer free radicals the study foundThe circulating blood of the two groups also looked different with the lateonset group showing more favourable levels of 15 different lipid or fatrelated metabolites in their bloodOur data suggest that women who complete menopause at a later age have a kind of natural inherent protection from vascular dysfunction that can come from oxidative stress over time said Rossman an assistant research professor in the Department of Integrative PhysiologyAlso ReadlsquoI was always exhaustedrsquo Things about menopause that no one prepares you forThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever