Sedentary Lifestyle Linked to Worse Menopause Symptoms

Amanda Balbi

Women who get less than the recommended amount of exercise are more likely to experience worse menopausal symptoms and to be obese, according to recent research.

To study the connection between an inactive lifestyle and menopausal symptoms and obesity in middle-aged women, researchers followed 6079 Latin American women aged 40 to 59 participating in the Collaborative Group for Research of the Climacteric in Latin America surveys.
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Questionnaires assessed the severity of menopause symptoms, anxiety and depression, insomnia, and physical fitness level. Women were categorized as sedentary if they reported a physical activity level of less than 3 sessions of 30 minutes per week.

Of the 64% of women who reported a sedentary lifestyle, 16% had severe menopausal symptoms, whereas only 11% of women who reported an active lifestyle had severe symptoms. In addition, 21% of inactive women were obese, compared to 14% of active women.

“There was a high prevalence of sedentary lifestyle in this middle-aged Latin American female sample, which was associated with more severe menopausal symptoms and obesity,” researchers concluded.

--Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Blümel JE, Fica J, Chedraui P, et al.  Sedentary lifestyle in middle-aged women is associated with severe menopausal symptoms and obesity. Menopause. Published online ahead of print. January 19, 2016. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000575.