Behavioral weight loss can help reduce menopausal hot flashes: Study

A new study has revealed that behavioral weight loss can help manage menopausal hot flashes.

According to the study, there is a significant correlation between weight loss and hot flashes and the degree of weight loss correlated with the degree of reduction in hot flashes.

Although newer data has suggested a positive relationship between hot flashes and the percentage of fat in a woman's body, no studies, to date, had been specifically designed to test whether weight loss reduces hot flashes.

The North American Menopause Society's executive director, Margery Gass, said that is encouraging news for women looking for relief for this bothersome midlife symptom. Not only might behavior weight loss provide a safe, effective remedy for many women, but it also encourages a health-promoting behavior.

Gass added that since many of the women in this pilot study indicated their primary motivator for losing weight was hot flash reduction, they know that this could be a strong incentive for women to engage in a healthier lifestyle which provides numerous other health benefits beyond hot flash management.

The study was published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).