A recent study revealed that early menopause has been associated with health concerns such as cardiac disorders, stroke, and more; however, it doesn’t lead to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
According to a study published in the journal Menopause, women who experience menopause before the age of 45 equally face the similar risk of developing type 2 diabetes as compared to women who experience it later in life.
The results challenge the assumption that a longer postmenopausal period leads to increased risks of diabetes.
Lead author and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Miguel Hernández University of Elche in Spain stated, “Our findings do not support the initial hypothesis that menopause generates a metabolic change favorable to insulin resistance and the development of diabetes.”
Menopause is linked to physical changes such as increased body fat and insulin resistance, both known risk factors for diabetes.
As per the scientists, women who experience menopause early in life may experience an increased lifetime risk as a result.
For the study, scientists assessed data from up to 147,000 women participating in the UK Biobank study and followed them for an average of over 14 years.
During that time, nearly 6,000 women, less than 5% of participants, were diagnosed with diabetes.
Initially, early menopause was associated with a higher diabetes rate, the difference vanished after accounting for other factors.
Rather, lifestyle and cardiac risks played a pivotal role such as smoking, obesity, poor diet, high salt intake, and cholesterol medication use.
As per the experts, findings are reassuring, as many of these risks are preventable and manageable.
