Does Menopause Increase Risk of Diabetes?

It is an idea that has been hinted at for some time, and
its answer is important for all middle-aged women.
Does menopause influence one's risk for type 2
diabetes? With the latest health news, it's time to don
a smile, because researchers found the answer to be
"no."

Postmenopausal women had no higher risk for
diabetes whether they experienced natural
menopause or had their ovaries removed,according
to the national clinical trial of 1,237 women at high
risk for diabetes, ages 40 to 65.

In other words, menopause had no additional effect
on risk for diabetes. Menopause remains one of many
small steps in aging and it doesn't mean women's
health will be worse after going through this
transition. The results are published in the August
issue of "Menopause."

The findings also shed light on the impact of diet and
exercise and hormone replacement therapy on the
health of postmenopausal women. Previous studies
had shown that menopause could speed the
progression to diabetes because of the higher levels
of testosterone. All the women in the study had "glucose intolerance," meaning their bodies struggled
to process blood sugar into energy.

The researchers have shown that lifestyle
interventions can help prevent diabetes in those with
glucose intolerance.These interventions work well in
women who have gone through menopause. According to the new study, for every year 100
women observed, 11.8 premenopausal women
developed diabetes, compared to 10.5 among women
in natural menopause and 12.9 cases among women
who had their ovaries removed.

But for those who had their ovaries removed and
engaged in lifestyle changes, the rate of diabetes
plummeted to 1.1. Those changes included losing
seven percent of their body weight (that would be
12.6 pounds for a 180-pound woman) and exercising
for at least 150 minutes a week. They found these results surprising, as the women
had gone on hormone replacement therapy, which
many fear escalates the risk for many health issues.
The message to take away from this is that lifestyle
changes to shed pounds could reduce your risk of
developing diabetes.