Women Who Lost Weight on Low-Fat Diet Had Fewer or No Hot Flashes, Researchers Find
By Kathleen Doheny WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
July 11, 2012 -- Losing excess weight by eating a low-fat diet filled with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains appears to help reduce or eliminate menopausal symptoms, according to new research.
"Women who lost weight on a low-fat diet reduced hot flashes and night sweats," says researcher Bette J. Caan, DrPH, senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.
Even some women who followed the diet and didn't lose weight reported fewer menopausal symptoms, Caan tells WebMD, although she says that could be a chance finding.
"The biggest reduction in symptoms was in women who lost weight and were on the diet," she says.
The study is published in the journal Menopause.
About 80% of women report hot flashes and night sweats as they progress through menopause, according to Caan. Up to half of them have moderate or severe symptoms. The others have mild symptoms.
The flashes and sweats are thought to result from dilation of the blood vessels close to the skin.
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Can Weight Loss Cool Hot Flashes?
