Association between Lean Body Mass and Menopausal Symptoms: A National Study of Women's Health
Lean body mass is negatively associated with incident VMS. Our data suggest that maintaining a high level of LBM during the menopausal transition can prevent the onset of VMS. All women will experience menopause in their lives, and the ability to potentially prevent the onset of certain symptoms through basic interventions such as strength training to increase lean body mass could have a positive impact on this large population.
Woods, R., Hess, R., Biddington, C., et al. Association between lean body mass and menopausal symptoms: a national women's health study. Midlife Health Womens 6, 10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-020-00058-9
Commentary
This study was designed to investigate the association between lean body mass (LBM) and the development of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) after women go through menopause. 2533 women aged 42-52 years were studied annually over a 10-year period. LBM was assessed using the following measures: concurrent VMS (p = .036), LBM since the last visit LBM was reported to be significantly associated with the rate of change in LBM since the last visit (p = .003), the rate of change from baseline (p <.001), and the overall mean association (p = .023).Because LBM was not important for VMS at individual visit measures, the estimated probability of developing VMS decreased significantly as LBM increased decreases significantly as the LBM increases.
Postmenopausal women have chronic systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, abdominal visceral adipose tissue, dyslipidemia, sarcopenia, and a sedentary lifestyle, all of which are considered risk factors for metabolic syndrome. The transition to menopause has been found to be associated with decreases in estrogen, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), muscle protein synthesis
Recent studies have shown that lean body mass (LBM) and skeletal muscle area are protective against weight-related insulin resistance and metabolic abnormalities, suggesting that low muscle mass and estrogen receptors are also associated with a higher risk of metabolic complications.
Decreased LBM is the most important factor in metabolic changes in postmenopausal women, which can be explained by increased visceral fat mass and decreased insulin resistance, associated with oxidation of total body fat and decreased energy expenditure. Thus, women may play a role in maintaining adequate muscle mass during the transition to menopause, thereby minimizing the risk of menopause and preventing the development of adverse metabolic conditions commonly associated with menopause, but little is known about the role of LBM and its impact on menopausal symptoms during the transition Therefore, this study was conducted.
