In a recent study on incontinence and obesity, researchers noticed that losing weight could help lessen the frequency and  intensity of hot flashes.  And of course the headlines followed with “lose weight” messages to all women.  No mention being made on how it might improve incontinence itself.

But they have no idea why weight has any effect on hot flashes  and this particular study provides no new clues. The women did not follow a set diet or exercise regime.  They were merely “educated” and left to record their efforts.  

Since significant numbers of thin women also suffer from hot flashes, it could well be that regular exercise rather than being actually ”losing a few pounds” that is the clue.

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“Walking for 45 minutes a few times a week may help women in the “battle of the bulge” that often accompanies menopause, and at the same time improve overall well being”

The study compared two groups of women: perimenopausal and post menopausal over a 16 weeks predio walking 45 minues a day every second day. They found that

“Greater weight loss was achieved by the premenopausal women who lost an average of about 4.4 pounds compared to 1.5 pounds for the postmenopausal women. They also tended to lose more fat mass. Postmenopausal women, however, tended to benefit with a larger drop in their waist size and from gains in lean body mass”

It apparently also improved their sense of well-being.

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They found that exercising an hour a day helped women who were already a healthy weight range (BMI 25 or less) to maintain their weight. Others needed to combine calorie restriction with exercise to lose weight.  

 WebMD has a good interpretation of the study findings:

Exercise and Weight Control: Study Details

Lee and her colleagues followed more than 34,000 women who had participated in the Women’s Health Study. The women’s average age at the study start in 1992 was 54.

Women self-reported physical activity and weight at the study start and at years, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 13.

All women ate a normal diet, and there weren’t instructions to reduce calories.

The researchers classified the women into three activity groups, depending on the level of activity:

• One group was active less than about 150 minutes a week — the amount of moderate intensity activity recommended for health benefits (but not necessarily weight control), according to 2008 federal guidelines.
• A second group was active more than 150 minutes a week but less than 420.
• The most active group got in 420 or more minutes a week of moderate activity, or about an hour a day.

The researchers looked at physical activity and weight gain over intervals averaging three years.

Exercise and Weight Control: Study Results

Overall, Lee says, all three groups gained weight over time — an average of 5.7 pounds.

But the more active the women, the less they gained. ”Compared to women in the most active group, women in the two lesser active groups gained more weight,” Lee tells WebMD. ”Compared to the most active women, the two less active groups were more likely to gain 5 pounds over the three-year period. The second most active group was 7% more likely to gain the 5 pounds, and the least active group 11% more likely.”

The two lesser active groups were about equal, however, in the amount of weight gained, she says.

Initially, Lee says, the relationship between physical activity and weight control looked like it applied to everyone. But it did not.

Lee and her team also looked at a subgroup of women — those who started out at a healthy weight — that is, with a body mass index or BMI of less than 25 — and maintained a healthy weight throughout — that is, gained less than 5 pounds at the three-year interval. Thirteen percent of the women, or 4,540, had a BMI lower than 25 at the study start and maintained a healthy weight throughout. ”We found the relationship between physical activity and less weight gain held only for the women with a BMI of less than 25.”

So what does this mean for you?  If you have a BMI of 25 or less, you can get away with one hour exercise a day with no cut in calories. If you cannot do one hour’s exercise a day then along with the over-weight you will need to cut calories as well as exercise to decrease then maintain your weight.  How much of each can be worked out by looking at your BMR.

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There is increasing concern that mammograms are forcing treatment on women who would be quite safe without it.  Many small cancers are slow growing and won’t kill but they can’t tell that until they cut them out and douse the remains with chemotherapy just to “make sure” so that in the end the cure can be worse than the disease.

So it is not surprising that the Denmark study, which compared breast cancer outcomes between areas that had a screening program and those that did not, found that breast cancer screening was of no great benefit.  But who would have thought that they would find that it was worse?

Among women who’d been offered screening, the breast cancer death rate fell by 1 percent between 1997 and 2006. In the same 10 years, breast cancer deaths in areas where screening wasn’t routine fell by 2 percent.

Whatever the reason, the conclusion is that whole-scale screening program are not necessarily effective.

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They found that the women out-performed men. And this despite the fact that many of the women would be in menopausal transition – a time when reportedly memory abilities decrease slightly only to be regained once transition is completed.

Research director Professor Jane Elliott said “‘We would expect for women to do even better as they get older.

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The study looked at mothers who averaged age 51 and had given birth at least 19 years ago. They found that on average they had waist circumferences that were  of 2.6 inches smaller than mothers who had never breast-fed. They also found their waist-to-hip ratio was 4.7 percent higher but they don’t disclose what that WHR was. Since it is WHR and not waist measurement that is the marker for cardiovascular risk it seems a strange omission.

If you read through the report, it later states that “researchers didn’t find any statistically significant differences in belly fat in women who were in late perimenopause and menopause”.

So basically whatever if any benefits are there in the pre or early peri stages of menopause are lost.

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The study found that women who used bisphosphonate drugs, such as Fosamax, Boniva and Zomita, for more than two years had a nearly 40 percent reduction in risk as compared to those who did not, according to lead author Polly Newcomb, Ph.D., M.P.H., head of the Cancer Prevention Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“This large study provides new evidence that the use of bisphosphonates is associated with a potentially important reduction in breast cancer risk,” Newcomb said.

The protective effect was observed only among women who were not obese. “Obese women may have elevated estrogen levels, so underlying hormones may influence the ability of bisphosphonates to reduce breast cancer risk,” Newcomb said.

The way in which these drugs may prevent breast cancer is not known, but several research observations may be relevant. “These drugs may affect cell function and be important in cell growth and death – specifically the death of tumors or even premalignant disease,” Newcomb said. Researchers have found that some kinds of bisphosphonates directly cause tumor apoptosis (cellular suicide), inhibit angiogenesis (prevent tumors from establishing a blood supply) and prevent tumor-cell adhesion (the ability of cancer cells to bind to one another).

The study involved nearly 6,000 Wisconsin women, aged 20 to 69. Half had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and, for comparison purposes, half had not. The women were interviewed about their bone health – their history of fractures, whether they’d been diagnosed with osteoporosis and their history of bisphosphonate use.

Breast cancer risk factors such as first-degree family history of the disease, age at first birth, postmenopausal hormone use and body mass index were accounted for in the analysis. “Because we were able to account for important cofounders, these findings may reflect real benefits due to the anti-tumor mechanisms of these medications,” the authors wrote.

The National Cancer Institute funded the study, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Hutchinson Center researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. http://www.fhcrc.org/ About the British Journal of Cancer (BJC) The BJC is owned by Cancer Research UK. Its mission is to encourage communication of the very best cancer research from laboratories and clinics in all countries. Broad coverage, its editorial independence and consistent high standards have made BJC one of the world’s premier general cancer journals. http://www.nature.com/bjc

Media Contacts:
Kristen Woodward
206-667-5095
kwoodwar@fhcrc.org

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com/. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center CONTACT: Kristen Woodward of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,+1-206-667-5095, kwoodwar@fhcrc.org Web Site: http://www.fhcrc.org

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Apparently, naturally secreted estrogen appears to protect the eye from cataract, but estrogen from outside sources in the form of hormone replacement therapy does not.

Study data showed that women who had ever used hormone replacement therapy had a 14% higher risk of cataract than women who had never used therapy. Current users had an 18% higher risk of cataract than women who never used hormone replacement therapy.

Results showed that among women who consumed alcohol, current hormone replacement therapy users had a 29% higher risk of cataract extraction than those who did not use therapy. Current users who consumed more than one alcoholic beverage daily had a 42% higher risk of cataract.

Current hormone replacement therapy users who smoked had a 29% higher risk of cataract than women who neither used therapy nor smoked. Current users who never smoked had a 26% higher risk of cataract than women who neither used therapy nor smoked.

Women who currently used hormone replacement therapy and alcohol and were smokers were at a 38% higher risk of cataract.

Further information about the study can be read at ScienceDaily.

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More importantly they need to know that the symptoms of heart attack are different from men.

Men often experience chest discomfort while women have other, more subtle symptoms  such as fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, jaw pain or abdominal discomfort.

Apart from eating right and getting fit, we should all get our blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels checked every year.

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